Odisha govt to provide smartphones for women SHGs

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced to provide smartphones to all six lakh women Self Help Groups (SHGs) free of cost under the Mission Shakti programme.

“My dream is to see that every woman has access to the knowledge economy. As a first step my government will digitally empower all the six lakh Mission Shakti groups with a smartphone,” said the Chief Minister.

He was addressing at a seminar on women entrepreneurship at Make in Odisha Conclave here on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister said that the Mission Shakti, which was started as a project in 2001, has transformed into a movement with 70 lakh women, 6 lakh groups, Rs 5,000 crore savings and Rs 2,000 crore annual bank exposure.

“Our women have come a long way and the next ceiling to be broken is the digital one. My government is aware that digital empowerment will further accelerate the socio-political and economic empowerment of women,” said Patnaik.

“Women empowerment is something that is very close to my heart. No country or State has ever developed without empowering their women. My dream is to see that every woman has access to the knowledge economy. As a first step my Government will digitally empower all the six lakh Mission Shakti groups with a smartphone,” he added.