Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has set a target to channelise government business worth Rs 5,000 crore through women self-help groups (WSHGs) in five years. The business through WSHGs has reached Rs 3,583.84 crore in the first two years (2019-20 and 2020-21).
Mission Shakti department has achieved 71.67 per cent of the target in the first two years.
Mission Shakti secretary Sujata Karthikeyan revealed this at a high-level meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra on digital mode Wednesday.
Karthikeyan said that a target was fixed to have Rs 5,000 crore of business through WSHGs in five years starting from the financial year 2019-20. Accordingly, there was a target to have a business worth Rs 1,000 crore each year.
Beating the adversities of shutdown and lockdowns caused by Covid-19 pandemic, the total government business through WSHGs touched Rs 1,411.82 crore in the financial year 2019-20 thereby recording achievement of around 141 per cent. The business was achieved through 20, 449 WSHGs.
In the fiscal year 2020-21, the government business through WSHGs grew to Rs 2,172.02 crore thereby boosting the achievement to more than 217 per cent. The number of WSHGs involved in government business also rose to 62,514 in 2020-21 fiscal, she said.
Mahapatra directed the officials to explore new areas of partnership with WSHGs involving more groups. He also directed the officials to explore new projects in micro food processing, primary healthcare, pisciculture in village tanks, poultry, commercial vegetable cultivation and water supply among others. Power distribution companies have been asked to engage more WSHGs in meter reading and bill collection.
It was decided in the meeting that a Mission Shakti Bazar would be set up on the campus of the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) in Bhubaneswar with its opening to the roadside to create round-the-year sales point for WSHG products. Mahapatra also asked the officials to explore the possibilities of opening more such counters at other prominent places.