Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform-Odisha Chapter, pitching it as a transformative initiative to put women at the forefront of the state’s economic growth.The platform, developed with the support of Niti Aayog, aims to serve as a single-window ecosystem offering financial assistance, market access, mentorship and skilling support to women entrepreneurs.Addressing ‘Udyami Odisha MSME Programme’ and an International MSME Day event here, Majhi said that the initiative is not just a scheme but a movement to strengthen women’s economic leadership. “Our goal is to build an Odisha where women are job-creators, not job-seekers. We aim to make them producers, not just consumers. They are the leaders of development,” the chief minister said.He also unveiled the platform’s one-year action plan and highlighted the impact of Subhadra Yojana. Citing data from IIM-Sambalpur, SBI and AI-based surveys, he said the share of women-led enterprises in Odisha has surged from 25% to 53%.Officials said the new platform will integrate the efforts of Mission Shakti, MSME department, Startup Odisha, banks and industry bodies to streamline the support for women entrepreneurs.A series of projects targeting MSME growth was also unveiled on the occasion. A Rs 24.18-crore rice milling cluster was inaugurated in Balasore to promote rice bran oil production, while foundation stones were laid for a Rs 17.7-crore rasgulla cluster at Pahala. It is expected to raise the daily production of the sweet from 7,000kg to 11,000kg. Two multi-product MSME parks, each costing Rs 10 crore, were launched at Barapalli in Ganjam and Kesinga in Kalahandi.Majhi said one MSME park is being planned in each district. Over 4.32 lakh MSMEs have benefited from the Centre-state initiatives, he added. Under PMEGP, Rs 146 crore in subsidies has been extended to 4,900 micro units.Niti Aayog vice-chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri termed Odisha a rising star under the Purvodaya vision, noting the state’s strong GSDP growth and top rank in the Fiscal Health Index 2026.Pravati Parida, deputy chief minister, said the platform marks a new chapter for the women-led economy. MSME minister Gokulananda Mallik said women entrepreneurs will be key to achieving Odisha’s 2036 growth vision, and 500 billion dollar economy target.
