Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi Unveils 'Lakshapati Didi Sahayika' Initiative
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Synopsis
Odisha's CM Mohan Charan Majhi has launched the 'Lakshapati Didi Sahayika Yojana' to provide financial support for community support staff remuneration, assisting 62,000 members and empowering women through self-help groups.
Key Takeaways
- Launch of the 'Lakshapati Didi Sahayika Yojana'
- Support for 62,000 community support staff
- Financial grants to Gram Panchayat Level Federations
- Target to create 25 lakh 'Lakshapati Didis' by 2027
- Enhancement of women's financial independence
Bhubaneswar, Feb 14 (NationPress) Odisha's Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced the introduction of a new scheme—'Lakshapati Didi Sahayika Yojana'—designed to provide grants to Gram Panchayat Level Federations (GPLFs) for the financial support of Community Support Staff (CSS) across the state.
During the announcement made in the state assembly, CM Majhi stated that the new initiative will benefit 62,000 CSS members.
“I am pleased to introduce the 'Lakshapati Didi Sahayika Yojana'. Through this program, the government aims to support the remuneration of community support staff by allocating grants to GPLFs. This will ensure that over 62,000 community support staff members receive their salaries starting from April 2024,” CM Majhi declared in the Odisha Assembly.
In his statement, the Chief Minister highlighted that the Odisha Livelihood Mission, which operates under the National Rural Livelihood Mission, has been functioning since April 1, 2012.
This initiative focuses on enhancing the livelihoods of rural residents by organizing self-help groups (SHGs) and engaging women from rural households.
These groups are further consolidated and organized at the village and panchayat levels to provide various socio-economic supports.
CM Majhi emphasized that to empower SHGs, Cluster Level Federations (CLFs), and Gram Panchayat Level Federations (GPLFs), Community Support Staff were appointed at the Gram Panchayat level.
The CSS includes Community Resource Persons for Community Mobilization (CRP-CM), Master Book Keepers (MBK), Bank Mitras, and Prani Mitras.
A total of 62,341 community support staff members have been appointed across the state. According to the guidelines set forth by the Odisha Livelihood Mission regarding the remuneration of community support staff, the remuneration was structured over five years starting from April 1, 2019, with full support in the first three years, 75% in the fourth year, and 50% in the fifth year.
After the fifth year, the complete remuneration was expected to be borne by the Gram Panchayat Level Federations.
“Unfortunately, due to the previous government's lack of commitment, the GPLFs have struggled to achieve financial self-sufficiency, leading to non-payment of salaries to community support staff for the past ten months,” Majhi explained.
Additionally, CM Majhi announced the launch of the 'Lakshapati Didi Yojana' to boost the financial autonomy of women in self-help groups, aiming to enable women to earn at least Rs 1 lakh annually. The government aspires to create 25 lakh 'Lakshapati Didis' by 2027.
