SHGs to be engaged in horticulture dept activities

Bhubaneswar: The horticulture directorate has asked its field-level officers to involve women self-help groups (WSHGs) in different programmes after the state government directed it to ensure their maximum engagement in its activities.
There has been no achievement in involvement of WSHGs in activities like hybrid vegetable cultivation, floriculture and mushroom cultivation, according to a circular issued to all deputy director of horticultures and assistant director of horticultures. The field-level officers have been directed to intimate the achievement on engagement of WSHGs in different activities till date and also to explain the reason behind poor achievement in financial expenditure.
Engagement of WSHGs is one of the top priority programmes of the state government as it has decided to provision government business worth Rs 5,000 crore to WSHGs under Mission Shakti. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik also reviews progress of engagement of WSHGs in government activities at regular intervals. Implemented in 2001, Mission Shakti is one of the successful initiatives of the ruling dispensation under which around 70 lakh rural women have been successfully organized by formation of self-help groups (SHGs).
Various other departments have engaged women SHGs in activities like managing Aahaar centres, handling paddy procurement and supplying uniforms to children in schools and diets to hospitals.