'14 lakh women will lose jobs': Odisha Livelihood Mission workers stage massive protest in Bhubaneswar

Thousands of women workers of the Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) under the Mission Shakti Department staged a massive protest at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar on Thursday over a four-point charter of demands.

Their demonstration aims to exert influence ahead of the upcoming legislative Assembly session, underlining the urgency of their plight.

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The protestors are advocating for their rights, voicing strong appeals for the government to address their grievances. The impending Assembly meeting has amplified the protest's significance, with workers determined to bring their concerns to the forefront.

Women members belonging to the Executive Committee (EC) opposed the Odisha government’s previous notification on Gram Panchayat Level Federation (GPLF) restructuring.

“EC members who worked hard for over the last 25 years under the Mission Shakti programme and helped the formation of more than 6,02,000 self-help groups (SHGs) in Odisha, and empowered over 70 lakh other women in the society by showing them the ways to earn their livelihoods are now being ignored and neglected,” a protester said to OTV.

“The Government decision will affect more than 1.5 lakh EC members, and the presidents and secretaries of 6 lakh SHGs. In other words, around 14 lakh women will be sacked from their services,” the protester stated.

“We demand that the State government must withdraw the GPLF restructuring notification and services of the women members be regularised,” the protester added.

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“Our 4-point charter of demands include the withdrawal of the Government notification, regularisation of jobs of the ECs, monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 to SHG members as earlier declared by the BJP in its election manifesto, and withdrawal of order to disintegrate OLM and Mission Shakti into two separate bodies,” a OLM leader expressed.