The government is determined to connect rural women with empowering livelihood opportunities while meeting their financial needs, according to a report prepared and circulated by the Hemant Soren government today.

This report prepared by the Information and Public Relation Department states as follows.

*A five-fold increase has been witnessed in the number of rural families who have been connected with empowering livelihoods after 2019*

*While 4,46,551 families got empowering livelihoods in the past seven years, the present government was successful in connecting 24,50,924 families with empowering livelihoods in just three years.
 
A remarkable increase has been witnessed in the number of rural families of the state who have been linked to empowering livelihoods. 

From the year 2012 to 2019 only 4,46,551 rural families of Jharkhand were linked with livelihoods whereas since the month of December 2019 till now, the government has been successful in connecting 24,50,924 rural families with livelihood. This glorious number has been achieved through the collective efforts of both the government as well as the Sakhi Mandals. 

The Government is making consistent efforts to enhance the livelihood opportunities of women from the rural pockets through various programmes while taking into consideration the locally available resources. 

The government hopes that the women of Sakhi Mandal will play an important role in getting the state out of the vicious circle of poverty. The State government is making efforts to empower the women of the Sakhi Mandal and boost the rural economy in order to usher happiness and prosperity across the state.
 
*Initiatives like Palash undertaken during the pandemic period have gained immense popularity at the national level*
 
Armed with the vision of making women from the rural areas financially independent, the Government  had started making efforts in this regard in the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic itself. 

The Government, with the launch of the Palash brand, was successful in providing a market for the products of the Sakhi Mandals. Palash, over time, has gained popularity at the national level and was a pertinent step taken in the context to provide a national level market for local produce.

During the COVID-19 period i.e. in the year 2020-21, a total of 16,71,724 rural families were provided livelihood by connecting them with Sakhi Mandal. In the year 2019-20, a total of 1,35,049 families, 5,01,409 families in 2021-22 and in the year 2022-23 so far 1,42,742 families have been linked with empowering livelihoods.
 
*Phulo Jhano Ashirwad Abhiyan entwines ideas of dignified livelihood opportunities as well as curbing evil practices*

Under the umbrella of the Phulo Jhano Aashirwad Abhiyan, the participation of women in local liquor/hadiya sale and production has been reduced and the rural women associated with it have been provided with alternative dignified livelihood opportunities as per their wish. 

The result of this unique initiative is that in the last three years till now 24,801 women have been able to generate good income through a respectable livelihood under the ambit of the Phulo Jhano Ashirwad Abhiyan. The government is determined to end this evil practice and to connect rural poor families with dignified livelihood opportunities through meeting their financial needs by connecting them to Sakhi Mandal, Gram Sangathan and Sankul Sangathan.