Paperman Media (Bhubaneswar )- A high-level review meeting was held Thursda at Lok Seva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, with the presence of Smt. Vijaya Rahatkar, Hon’ble Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, to assess the progress and initiatives of the Government of Odisha on women’s safety, security, and empowerment.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Government of Odisha, including the Chief Secretary, Smt. Anu Garg, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Industry,I&PR Deptt. Odisha, the Director General of Police, Secretaries from the Agriculture & FE Deptt, Mission Shakti,SSEPD, HE,S&ME and SC&ST development, along with other senior officers from various departments, while all District Collectors and district officials participated through video conferencing.
During the meeting, detailed presentations were made by the Women & Child Development Department, Mission Shakti Department, and Home Department, highlighting Odisha’s comprehensive and convergent approach towards women’s empowerment and safety.
The Chief Secretary highlighted the key initiatives, achievements, and successes of the Government of Odisha, including programmes such as Subhadra, Lakhpati Didi, Mission Shakti Cafes, POSHAN, creche services, PMMVY, women centric skill development programme and various women-centric entitlements being implemented across different departments.
In her keynote address, Smt. Vijaya Rahatkar appreciated the Government of Odisha for its robust institutional mechanisms and proactive initiatives in ensuring women’s safety and security. She also lauded the success of SUBHADRA Scheme and Lakhpati Didi initiative under Mission Shakti, highlighting its impact in promoting women’s economic independence and leadership.
The Chairperson commended Odisha’s innovative initiatives, particularly the Shakti App developed in collaboration with UNFPA, which enables a technology-driven and coordinated response to gender-based violence cases, and emphasized the need to further strengthen such systems. She also appreciated programmes like ADVIKA and the efforts of the Higher Education Department “SHAKTISHREE” in empowering adolescents and young women.
She emphasized the need to expedite the disposal of pending trafficking and other gender-based violence (GBV) cases, ensuring timely justice and strengthening the response mechanisms across all levels.
She also emphasized the need for strong implementation of the POSH Act and other women protection laws, along with continued inter-departmental convergence at state and district levels. She emphasized “Tere Mere Sapne”, a Pre-Marital Communication Centre for a harmonious marriage and family wellbeing should be established in every district under the leadership of District Collectors.
