Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has planned a mega event of Mission Shakti at Puri January 5—the day on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally at Baripada. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will address a gathering of 50,000 women self help groups (SHGs) and Anganwadi workers at Puri.
“The women & child development & Mission Shakti department is organising the state-level event to distribute various benefits to women SHGs and Anganwadi workers at Puri January 5,” a senior officer told Orissa POST.
Naveen will distribute Rs 3,000 to each women SHG to buy a smart phone while an application is being developed to directly connect with women SHGs. About 17,000 women SHGs from Puri will get the benefits on the day while about 3 lakh odd SHGs from across the state will be covered under the scheme.
The BJD boss will also give away seed money to another 3 lakh SHGs that were formed over last couple of years. Financial support of Rs 25 lakh will also be distributed to 12 block level federations of SHGs of Puri district at the event. About 200 such federations will get the amount in phases.
The Chief Minister will also distribute Rs 500 to Anganwadi workers while helpers will be given Rs 200. All the benefits will be given through DBT, the official added. The BJD has planned the event to further strengthen its women vote bank. This can also counter the Centre’s Ujjwala Sanitary Napkin initiative under which 100 local manufacturing units will be set up by oil marketing companies at Common Service Centres across 93 blocks in all 30 districts of the state.
As the election is nearing, the principal political parties—BJD, Congress and BJP are in no mood to spare time to attack each other.
The politics of holding counter events on the same day started from the BJD’s foundation day celebration when BJP had organised a programme to launch ‘Jawab Maguchi Odisha’ campaign.
Besides, all the three political parties have lined up programmes for January 8. Soon after the BJD announced to hold a demonstration in New Delhi over the Centre’s negligence towards farmers, BJP said they will gherao Naveen Niwas and the State Secretariat on the day demanding farm loan waiver and bonus for farmers. Congress too announced to hold demonstrations in all district headquarters.
