THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 27, 2026
Saying that women will be at the forefront of Odisha's
economic transformation, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched
the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) – Odisha Chapter, asserting that in a
prosperous Odisha, women will not merely participate in development but lead
it.
Launching the platform with the support of NITI Aayog during
the Udyami Odisha MSME Programme organised on International MSME Day, Majhi
described WEP as a transformative initiative that would position women as
drivers of economic growth rather than just beneficiaries. "Our goal is to
build an Odisha where women are job creators instead of job seekers, producers
instead of consumers, and leaders instead of mere partners in
development," he said.
The Chief Minister also unveiled WEP's one-year Action Plan, which
will integrate Mission Shakti, the MSME Department, Startup Odisha, banks and
industry bodies to provide women entrepreneurs with seamless access to finance,
markets, mentorship and skill development through a single platform.
Highlighting the impact of the Subhadra Yojana, Majhi said
more than one crore women have already been empowered under the scheme. Citing
data from IIM Sambalpur, SBI and an AI Voice Bot Survey, he noted that
women-led enterprises in Odisha have surged from 25 per cent to 53 per cent,
while beneficiaries' average bank deposits have increased by Rs 6,887.
Reaffirming the government's commitment to strengthening the
MSME ecosystem, the Chief Minister inaugurated a Rs 24.18-crore Rice Milling
Cluster at Balasore to promote rice bran oil production and laid the foundation
stone for a Rs 17.70-crore Rasgola Cluster at Pahala, which will increase daily
production capacity from 7,000 kg to 11,000 kg. He also inaugurated
Multi-Product MSME Parks at Barapalli in Ganjam and Kesinga in Kalahandi, each
developed at a cost of Rs 10 crore, and announced plans for engineering,
printing and packaging, and cashew clusters in the coming months.
Majhi said over 4.32 lakh MSMEs in Odisha have benefited from
joint Central and State government initiatives. Under PMEGP, subsidies worth Rs
146 crore have been extended to 4,900 micro enterprises, with women accounting
for 42.5 per cent of beneficiaries. More than Rs 23,000 crore in
collateral-free loans has been provided under the Credit Guarantee Scheme,
while the CM-SRIM scheme is easing the interest burden on entrepreneurs.
Noting that Odisha's merchandise exports touched Rs 95,568
crore last year, the Chief Minister said the MSME sector would be instrumental
in achieving the state's ambitious target of becoming a USD 500-billion economy
by 2036.
Addressing the gathering, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr Ashok Kumar Lahiri hailed Odisha as a "Dynamic Odisha", citing its strong fiscal management, faster-than-national GSDP growth and leadership in the Fiscal Health Index 2026. He described women's empowerment as the cornerstone of the state's future growth and urged sustained monitoring of development goals leading up to 2036.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida said the launch of WEP marked the beginning of a new era for women entrepreneurs, while MSME Minister Gokulananda Mallik expressed confidence that women-led enterprises would play a defining role in realising Odisha's Vision 2036.
