Cuttack: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said “respecting women is a fundamental principle of our (BJP) political training.” Majhi, along with his two deputy chief ministers, K V Singh Deo and Pravati Parida, attended the ‘Nari Shakti Samabesh’ in Cuttack and came down heavily on the previous BJD government. Claiming that respecting women was the fundamental training of the saffron outfit, Majhi said his government immediately after taking the oath of office on June 12 last year took four major decisions including launching of Subhadra Yojana for women’s empowerment.

“The primary goal of Nari Shakti Samabesh is to strengthen and elevate Odisha’s women as the State’s greatest asset,” Majhi said. He claimed that Subhadra Yojana is Odisha’s largest-ever women’s welfare programme and a social welfare scheme that aims to empower women financially by connecting with every village and family, even in remote tribal areas.

The Chief Minister also claimed that his government was working to boost the economic condition of women through Self-Help Groups (SHGs). “The women are using the assistance availed under Subhadra Yojana for businesses and farming. The SHGs have received Rs 3,695 crore in business and Rs 300 crore in interest refunds,” Majhi said. He claimed that Odisha has made a record by creating over 16 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’.

While felicitating some Lakhpati Didis at the meeting, Majhi said his government has set a target to create one crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in the coming years. He said more budget allocations have been made for women and children in the State. Majhi said as much as Rs 89,861 crore has been allocated in the 2025-26 budget for women-centric schemes like Chief Minister’s Sampurna Pushti Yojana (MSPY). “Odisha is a model State in women’s empowerment and the State will serve as an inspiration for others,” he said. Parvati Parida said the BJP government holding ‘Nari Shakti Samabesh’, on the very first day of its second year in office, symbolises both respect for women and a renewed commitment to building an equitable and progressive Odisha.