Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday launched the Odisha chapter of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) to strengthen women-led enterprises and boost entrepreneurship across the state.
Launched with the support of NITI Aayog, the platform aims to bring financial assistance, market access, mentorship, and skill development under one umbrella for women entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the Udyami Odisha MSME Programme and International Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Day event at Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Centre, Majhi said the platform would serve as a mission to strengthen women’s economic leadership in Odisha’s development.
“Our goal is to build an Odisha where women will not seek jobs, but create jobs; where they will not merely be consumers of products, but creators of products; where they will not just be participants in development, but leaders of development,” he said.
The CM also unveiled WEP’s one-year action plan.
Highlighting the impact of the Subhadra Yojana, Majhi said the scheme has empowered more than one crore women and helped them move towards self-reliance.
Citing data from IIM Sambalpur, SBI, and an AI Voice Bot Survey, he said the share of women-led enterprises in Odisha has increased from 25% to 53%, while the average bank deposits of beneficiaries have risen by Rs 6,887.
He said the new platform will coordinate the efforts of Mission Shakti, MSME, Startup Odisha, banks, and industry bodies to provide integrated support to women entrepreneurs.
The government also launched several partnerships in the handloom, skill development, homestay, and technology sectors.
Describing MSMEs as the backbone of Odisha’s economy, Majhi inaugurated a Rs 24.18-crore Rice Milling Cluster in Balasore to promote rice bran oil production. He also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 17.70-crore Rasgolla Cluster at Pahala, which will increase daily production capacity from 7,000 kg to 11,000 kg.
The CM also inaugurated two Multi-Product MSME Parks at Barapalli in Ganjam and Kesinga in Kalahandi. Each park has been developed at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
He announced that the state will soon establish an Engineering Cluster, a Printing and Packaging Cluster, and a Cashew Cluster. He added that the government is setting up a Multi-Product MSME Park in every district.
Majhi said more than 4.32 lakh MSMEs in Odisha have benefited from the combined efforts of the Centre and the state government.
He said the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme has provided subsidies worth Rs 146 crore to 4,900 micro-enterprises, with women accounting for 42.5% of the beneficiaries.
He added that the Credit Guarantee Scheme has extended collateral-free loans exceeding Rs 23,000 crore, while the state government is bearing the interest burden under the CM-SRIM scheme.
Majhi said Odisha’s merchandise exports touched Rs 95,568 crore last year and expressed confidence that the MSME sector would play a crucial role in helping the state achieve a Rs 500-billion economy by 2036.
Speaking at the same venue, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said Odisha has emerged as a fast-growing state with a Gross State Domestic Product growth rate higher than the national GDP growth rate.
He said the state secured the top position in NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index 2026 and praised the government’s fiscal management and progress in sectors such as textiles and tourism.
Deputy Chief Minister and Women & Child Development Minister Prabhati Parida said the launch of WEP marks a new chapter for women entrepreneurs. She said the platform will provide women with a common platform to showcase their capabilities and strengthen their participation in the state’s development.
MSME Minister Gokulananda Mallick said women entrepreneurs would play a vital role in achieving Odisha’s development goals for 2036.
