Women at the Center of Governance: Policy Innovations under Mission Shakti
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18817108Keywords:
Decentralization, Financial inclusion, Gender policy, Governance, Self-Help Groups, WomenAbstract
There has been a growing centrality of gender-responsive governance as a major voice of sustainable development. Decentralized local governance structures and self-help group (SHG) movements have become institutional frameworks of promoting the mobilization of women in making decisions at the location in India. This paper is a critical analysis of the policy innovations of the policy of Mission Shakti which is a flagship women centric program of Government of Odisha and how it has made women central to the process of governance. The study relies on the secondary data, governmental reports (2017-2026) and recent academic literature to analyze institutional restructuring, financial inclusion apparatus, digital empowerment programs and market integration strategies that are part of the introductions of the Mission. The results indicate that Mission Shakti is a type of governance innovation model reflecting economic empowerment and participative leadership, thus enhancing inclusive local governance. The paper ends by locating policy points and issues pertinent to the scaffolding of gender-responsive systems of governance.
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