CUTTACK: In a significant development, the Orissa High Court has issued an interim stay on two clauses in the new guidelines issued by the state government on restructuring of community organisations under Mission Shakti.
The commissioner-cum-secretary, department of Mission Shakti issued the new guidelines to all the collectors on January 22, 2025 for carrying out the restructuring process in their respective districts and complete it within four months.
Baitarani Mission Shakti Federation at Patna in Keonjhar district filed the petition seeking intervention against two clauses (5.10 and 5.11) of the new guidelines on April 15. Advocate Rajiv Kumar Mahanta made submissions on the petitioner’s behalf when the petition was taken up on April 17. He alleged that the two clauses were arbitrary and illegal.
Acting on it, the single judge bench of Justice Sashikanta Mishra issued notice to the state government to file counter affidavit and posted the matter to May 15 for further consideration.
“As an interim measure, it is directed that letter dated 22.01.2025 of the commissioner-cum-secretary to government, department of Mission Shakti, in so far as it relates to Clause No 5.10 and 5.11 of the guidelines on restructuring of community institution under Mission Shakti in Odisha shall remain stayed till the next date,” Justice Mishra ordered.
The provision 5.10 says, no member can be an office-bearer for two consecutive terms while provision 5.11 stipulates that in any executive committee (EC) at any community institution-level (CLF, GPLF, BLF and DLF), only one member from a family shall be eligible to become the member. Other family members, members of extended families or close relatives of such families shall not be eligible to become EC member of the same community institution.
The new guidelines circulated to the district collectors were related to women SHGs and their federations starting from village up to district-level. They were supported by Mission Shakti, a flagship programme of the previous BJD government, which aimed at empowering rural women by organising them into SHGs. These SHGs are involved in microfinance and livelihood generation, skill training and entrepreneurship and community welfare activities
The new guidelines claimed that the comprehensive restructuring process would lead to 1.24 million new office-bearers at the SHG-level and 1.15 million executive committee members at the CLF-level assuming leadership positions. Overall, more than 3.5 million women members across various institutional levels will get the opportunity to hold leadership roles in SHGs and their federations.