Women’s Empowerment A Lip Service Of Odisha Govt: Aparajita

Bhubaneswar: BJP leader and former IAS officer Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday came down heavily on the Odisha government for its failure to empower women of the state.

“The tall talks of the state government that it has taken up several schemes for the empowerment of women, is only a lip service,” she told mediapersons at the party office here.

Instead of luring the women with money ahead of the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections scheduled this year, the state government should make efforts to make them self-independent, she further said.

Referring to welfare schemes currently being under implemented in Odisha, Aprajita said the state government is adopting those of the neighbouring states. “The state government has replicated several welfare schemes of the Tamil Nadu government. For example, the ‘Amma Hotel’ scheme has been implemented as Aahar scheme,” she pointed out.

Why the state government, despite replicating several welfare schemes of the neighbouring state, is reluctant to adopt the women’s empowerment scheme which is immensely successful in Tamil Nadu, she questioned.

The former IAS officer also said that in comparison to the male ratio, the females ratio in Odisha is gradually coming down.