In 2025, the Majhi Government strengthened women empowerment and farmer welfare in Odisha through flagship schemes, health missions, and inclusive development initiatives
OdishaPlus Bureau
Although the year 2025 was eventful for Odisha and the nation in numerous ways, it stands out as a significant period for the welfare state due to its impressive achievements in women empowerment and the enhancement of grassroots farmers.
Women’s Welfare
Surpassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative, ‘Beti Bachao & Beti Padhao’, the Odisha government has elevated the status of women in the state and supported farmers, fostering inclusive growth and development in this agriculture-centric province. Through the implementation of the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ mission, the national program executed in Odisha is actively tackling gender disparities and promoting education for the girl child, starting from remote villages.
In its progressive sessions, the state Cabinet has committed to a range of farmer enhancement schemes and programs, while the state has sought to launch dedicated missions aimed at enlightening, educating, and empowering young champions, girls, female students, women entrepreneurs, homemakers, and the female population as a whole.
In a similar vein, to elevate the socio-economic status of marginal farmers, sharecroppers, and average agrarians, the Odisha government has devised several welfare schemes, providing support to the breadwinners in all aspects of their lives.
Whether it involves reserving seats for girls in schools, offering free education, providing free boarding and residential education for SC&ST girls, supplying free textbooks, granting scholarships to deserving girls, or offering post-matric financial assistance to female students, as well as free bicycles for mobility, all these benefits have become blessings for girls, thereby reinforcing the state’s Women Empowerment Mission.
The Mamata Yojna, aimed at ensuring essential nutrients for expectant and nursing mothers, has played a crucial role in nearly eliminating maternal and infant mortality during the neonatal and post-neonatal periods.
The Early Childhood and Care (EC&C) strategy, implemented by the Women & Child Welfare Department of the Government of Odisha, has made significant strides in combating malnutrition and anemia among children, particularly girls. The whole-grain food supplies distributed to the CDPO segments offer essential nutrients that aid in addressing stunted growth and harmful infections in children.
Moreover, India’s progress in reducing maternal and child mortality rates surpasses global averages. According to the latest United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group (UN-MMEIG) Report for 2000-2023, released on April 7, 2025, India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has decreased by 23 points from 2020 to 2023. This accomplishment signifies an 86% reduction in India’s MMR, in contrast to a global reduction of 48% over the last 33 years, from 1990 to 2023. The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) Report 2024, published on March 24, 2025, also highlights significant progress in reducing child mortality in India.
India ranks among the leading countries in reducing child mortality rates. The report indicates that India has achieved a 78% reduction in the Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR), exceeding the global reduction of 61%; a 70% decline in the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) compared to a global reduction of 54%; and a 71% decrease in the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) against a global reduction of 58%, over the past 33 years from 1990 to 2023.
In comparison to the national average for MMR, Odisha has made remarkable progress in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. These sustained advancements are attributed to strategic interventions and the steadfast commitment of the Government, aligned with the Ministry of Health’s health initiatives and innovative missions.
The government of Odisha is actively executing the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), which provides financial support to pregnant women for their first living child, with utmost dedication, aiming to achieve a net zero mortality rate for both mothers and children in the future.
In a similar vein, the rigorous enforcement of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act is aimed at curbing sex-selective abortions, particularly the termination of female fetuses. The Health and Family Welfare Department of the state, in accordance with directives from the Centre, has committed to achieving a net zero rate of female fetus abortions across health facilities and women’s clinics.
The landscape of women’s empowerment in Odisha includes significant initiatives such as Mission Shakti, which empowers women through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to attain economic independence, and the newly introduced Subhadra Yojana, which provides direct financial assistance of 50,000 over five years via a debit card, thereby promoting digital transactions for beneficiaries of the NFSA/SFSS.
Additionally, other programs initiated by the Odisha government emphasize entrepreneurship through schemes like the Mahila Samriddhi Yojana, which offers microfinance to minorities, and skill development initiatives such as self-defense training through ‘Veerangana’ in Deogarh, aimed at improving livelihoods, education, and social welfare for women and girls throughout the state.
Under the Subhadra Yojana, women receive direct financial assistance of Rs 10,000 annually for five consecutive years to initiate small-scale businesses. Furthermore, women are provided with broader opportunities through the empowered SHG movement, which offers credit, market access, and economic activities, managed by a dedicated directorate. The Mahila Samriddhi Yojana also provides microfinance loans at reduced interest rates to minority women and underprivileged groups to encourage entrepreneurship.
Concerning skill development and protection, a Veerangana Scheme has been initiated in Deogarh, providing self-defense (martial arts) training to enhance the confidence of adolescent girls for their safety and security. In a similar vein, the ‘Nirbhay Kadhi & Mo Gelha Jhia’ initiative has been launched in the Ganjam district, along with the Kalpana Avijan in Dhenkanal district, aimed at raising mass awareness about the essential role of girls in society.
The Swarna Kalika scheme, which has been introduced in Keonjhar as a pilot project, seeks to raise awareness against child marriage and promote the legal rights of girls and women.
Read the remaining Schemes and Initiatives here:
Majhi Government: 2025 Was A Standout Year for Schemes and Initiatives– II
Majhi Government: 2025 Was A Standout Year for Schemes and Initiatives – III
