DCM Pravati Parida Stresses Strengthening Women-Led Enterprises at Mission Shakti Review

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida stressed the need to strengthen women-led enterprises and improve their income opportunities at a state-level seminar-cum-review meeting organised by the Mission Shakti Department in Bhubaneswar.

The one-day meeting was held at Krushi Shiksha Sadan, OUAT, with a focus on strengthening livelihood programmes and promoting sustainable women-led businesses across Odisha.

Addressing the meeting, Parida said improving the quality, competitiveness and sustainability of women-led enterprises remains a key priority of the Odisha Government. She emphasised the importance of better market access, capacity building and technology to increase women’s income and help them become economically self-reliant.

The Deputy Chief Minister also urged officials and stakeholders to work in close coordination to achieve the government’s objective of empowering women entrepreneurs and strengthening rural livelihoods.

During the meeting, officials reviewed the progress of various livelihood programmes being implemented across the state. Detailed discussions were held on field-level experiences, implementation challenges and possible solutions to improve the effectiveness of ongoing programmes.

The deliberations focused particularly on expanding opportunities for women entrepreneurs, improving the delivery of livelihood initiatives and strengthening coordination among departments and stakeholders involved in programme implementation.

The meeting brought together senior officials and field-level functionaries from the Mission Shakti Department and Odisha Livelihoods Mission. Mission Shakti Commissioner-cum-Secretary Manasi Nimbhal and Mission Shakti Director Monica Priyadarshini were among those present.

District Project Coordinators, District Project Managers, Block Project Coordinators, Block Project Managers, Block Project Assistants, District Project Assistant Cluster Associates, Block Livelihood Coordinators and State Development Coordinators from across Odisha also participated in the review.

The state-level meeting provided a platform to assess the progress of women-focused livelihood programmes, identify gaps at the grassroots level and discuss strategies to make women-led enterprises more competitive and sustainable.

The government reiterated its focus on creating stronger economic opportunities for women while improving rural livelihoods through coordinated implementation, skills development, technology adoption and better market linkages.