CM inaugurates stalls under Sashakt Bahna Utsav Yojana
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 24 Aug: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated and inspected stalls set up by self-help groups under the ‘Mukhyamantri Sashakt Bahna Utsav Yojana’ at the Secretariat here today. He interacted with the women from self-help groups (SHGs) across the districts through virtual medium and appreciated the locally prepared rakhis and other products displayed at the stalls.
The Chief Minister also announced that from next year the ‘Sashakt Bahna Utsav’ will begin fifteen days prior to Raksha Bandhan and would be organised as a fortnight-long event. He said this would provide women more time and better opportunities to market their products, thereby enhancing their income. Women connected virtually expressed gratitude for the scheme, saying that government initiatives and market support for self-help group products are opening new avenues of livelihood and helping them achieve economic self-reliance.
Extending advance greetings for Raksha Bandhan, Dhami urged the officers and the employees at the Secretariat to purchase items from these stalls to encourage women’s groups, adding that this is the true spirit of ‘Vocal for Local’. He emphasised that adopting local products honours the labour and skill of women while strengthening the rural economy. He said that Uttarakhand’s women are the foundation of social and economic progress, balancing family responsibilities with farming, animal husbandry and livelihood activities, and now emerging as successful entrepreneurs through their skill and enterprise.
He highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, women’s dignity, safety and empowerment have been made central to national development, with schemes such as Ujjwala, Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Sukanya Samriddhi and the Lakhpati Didi campaign bringing positive change. He noted that the state government launched the ‘Sashakt Bahna Utsav Yojana’ in 2023 to ensure that quality local products made by self-help groups reach wider markets with fair value and recognition. Over the past three years, 4,480 stalls have been set up in 95 development blocks, achieving sales worth Rs 12.50 crore.
The CM said that marketing arrangements are being strengthened with growth centres, Saras centres, nano packaging units, bakeries and sales outlets along travel routes, as well as permanent centres and state-level fairs. He added that more than three lakh women from self-help groups have now become recognised as ‘Lakhpati Didis’. Plans are underway to expand the festival into ‘Sashakt Bahna Bazaar’, linking products to tourism sites, pilgrimage routes, railway stations, airports and hotels. He said the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand is giving Uttarakhand’s local products global recognition, with e-commerce and digital platforms being used to connect women’s products to national markets. Training in quality, packaging, branding, labelling, digital payments and marketing is also being provided.
The CM reminded that the women have been given 30 per cent horizontal reservation in government services and that the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code is a significant step towards ensuring their safety and equal rights. He affirmed that the state government is fully committed to the dignity, security, self-respect and economic independence of women.
Among those present at the event included Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu, Secretary Dheeraj Garbyal, Additional Secretary Jharna Kamthan, Anuradha Pal, Chief Development Officer Dehradun Abhinav Shah and chief development officers of all the districts through the virtual mode.
