While announcing the launching of the first FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) Odisha Women’s Awards instituted to acknowledge and award the women achievers of Odisha on Saturday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reposed faith on women to run Panchayati Raj Institutions saying Odisha is ahead in women empowerment and the State’s empowerment model for women is one amongst the best in the country.

“My Government has always been a champion of the cause of women empowerment, Mission Shakti is one of the key initiatives of our empowerment model, has successfully brought over eight million women from the four walls of family to socio-economic vibrancy,” Patnaik said.

He said the rural women in Odisha are now increasingly becoming a major contributor to the State’s growing economy. Through the Government’s initiatives like Make-in-Odisha, Start-Up Odisha and Skilled-in-Odisha, more and more women in Odisha are coming to entrepreneurship.

The CM observed that Odia women have also been achieving great feats in national and international sports. Odisha has become the first State in the country to walk the talk and it has been resolved in the State Assembly to allocate 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and State Legislative Assembly.  He pointed out that since 2011, Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies in the State are represented by over 50 per cent women.

The CM released a ‘Policy Brief on Women Entrepreneurship in Odisha’ and thanked the efforts of FICCI-FLO for its endeavour to encourage and facilitate women to showcase their talents, skills and energy at the grassroots, middle and senior levels for an inclusive economic growth trajectory. National president FICCI FLO Janhavi Phookan and State president Dharitri Patnaik also spoke on the occasion.