Odisha Government's SWAYAM and KHUSI Schemes | 14 Feb 2024

Source: TH

The Odisha government has recently announced a one-time livelihood cash assistance of ₹1,000 for the families covered by the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the state.

A new scheme called 'Swayam' was launched to provide interest-free bank loans of ₹1 lakh to rural unemployed youths aged 18-35 (18-40 for special category) to initiate new business ventures.
- At national level, Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) was launched in April, 2015 for providing loans up to 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.
The government expanded the existing KHUSI scheme, now called KHUSI+, to distribute belted sanitary napkins for institutional deliveries and medical termination of pregnancy in government facilities, aiming to improve menstrual hygiene awareness and reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the state.
- Odisha boasts a high rate of 81.5% of women using hygienic menstrual protection, exceeding the national average, as per the National Family Health Survey 5.