When women are trusted with responsibility, they don’t just uplift themselves—they become engines of social change

On a humid afternoon in Chacharabhata village in Odisha’s Nuapada district, a 38-year-old Durmila Tandi swipes her Subhadra Card at the local kiosk to pay for her child’s medicines. With the same money, she was also able to pay for her daughter’s graduation fees in college. Just a few years ago, she would have had to borrow cash from neighbours—or wait for her husband to return with money. Today, with her own bank account, digital access, and the backing of her women’s self-help group (SHG), Durmila decides how to spend her earnings and how to care for her family.

The story of Durmila mirrors a wider transformation across India. As the country moves into 2025, women are emerging as financial decision-makers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Empowerment is no longer an abstract promise—it is reshaping daily lives, especially in states like Odisha where targeted programs have placed women at the centre of development.

In the last decade, schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana have brought more than 250 million Indians into the banking system. Women now hold over half of these accounts, closing a gender gap that once seemed insurmountable. In Odisha alone, 1.18 crore (11.8 million) women receive direct transfers through the Subhadra Yojana, giving them unprecedented financial independence. With digital tools, many are making choices once out of reach—from paying hospital fees to investing in small businesses.

“Now, I don’t need to ask anyone,” Durmila says. “The money comes directly to me. I decide what’s best for my family.” From home to leadership, financial access is translating into influence. According to the latest National Family Health Survey, nearly 80 per cent of married women now participate in household decisions, a sharp rise from just 57 per cent in 2011.

In Odisha, the change is even more visible. Through Mission Shakti, women’s SHGs manage government contracts, run cooperatives, and control procurement worth thousands of crores. More than 16 lakh (1.6 million) Lakhpati Didis—women earning over Rs 1 lakh annually—are emerging as role models in budgeting, health planning, and civic participation. The shift is cultural as much as economic. Tribal and rural women, long excluded from major decisions, are now seen as leaders in their homes and communities.

Today, more and more women are stepping forward to take advantage of government schemes and programs designed to uplift and empower them. Minati Sabat, president of the Swayamsradha SHG who runs Millet Shakti outlet in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar, recalls a time when even paying monthly salaries to group members felt like a daunting task. Managing working capital and securing new orders to keep the group afloat was a constant struggle. Despite these challenges, the group persevered, taking on diverse tasks such as selling vegetables, tailoring, and sewing gunny bags to sustain themselves. A turning point came when they were entrusted with operating the Millet Shakti initiative. Through the Mission Shakti’s 0 per cent Interest Subvention Scheme, they accessed working capital of Rs 3-5 lakh, which gave them the financial confidence to take risks and explore new business avenues.

With additional support from the Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme and the continuous guidance of the Shree Anna Abhiyaan, Swayamsradha Mahasangha and Swayam Shakti Mahila Mahassangha acquired baking machinery that has enabled them to fulfill orders of up to eight quintals of Poda Pitha to date. They now bake 50-60 muffins per batch, twice daily, and produce 2-3 kg of cookies each day - thriving in their millet-based food enterprises.

A similar story of transformation comes from Swayam Shakti Mahila Mahasangha, which now runs the Millet Shakti Cafe at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar. Sushma Sahoo, one of the members, reflects on her past when financial hardship subjected her to continuous domestic violence. Her life began to change when she started working at the cafe and began receiving Subhadra financial assistance which helped her pay her children’s tuition fees. Beyond financial relief working at the cafe has instilled in her a newfound confidence, enabling her to speak assertively and interact with customers with ease. She expresses heartfelt gratitude to the Mission Shakti Department and the Odisha Government for their unwavering support to women SHGs. Being part of the group has awakened a deep sense of empowerment in her. And she now feels confident in leading a better life with her family, striving to reach new heights in entrepreneurship.

Odisha’s consistent and visionary effort to strengthen women’s SHGs through Mission Shakti and allied schemes is not only transforming lives at the grassroots but also aligning seamlessly with the Prime Minister’s Vision of a Viksit Bharat — a developed, inclusive, and self-reliant India.

When women control money, families invest more in health. SHG-led nutrition campaigns in Odisha have reduced maternal anaemia and improved child immunisation. Studies show that women with decision-making power are 25per cent more likely to seek institutional healthcare and less likely to suffer from under-nutrition. The empowerment dividend extends to mental health too: women with financial autonomy report lower stress and greater confidence.

While 78 per cent of Indian women now own bank accounts, only 20 per cent access formal credit—hindered by land ownership patterns, collateral requirements, and limited awareness. The digital divide is stark: just one in three rural women use smartphones, leaving many dependent on intermediaries for online services. These structural challenges mean that empowerment is uneven, with northern and eastern states lagging behind.

Kerala’s Kudumbashree program combines microfinance with mental health support and joint land titling. Rajasthan’s “Digital Sakhi” kits have sped up emergency medical care, while Andhra Pradesh has doubled women’s insurance claims by training frontline workers. Odisha’s Mission Shakti remains a standout model—linking financial inclusion with healthcare access, digital literacy, and community leadership. By integrating these dimensions, the state shows how empowerment can be scaled nationally.

For women like Durmila, empowerment is no longer a distant slogan—it is a lived reality. Each digital transaction, each SHG meeting, each independent decision is rewriting the script of gender relations in India. The road ahead lies not only in opening bank accounts but in ensuring true agency—through credit, technology, and voice in decision-making. If India can sustain this momentum, the future will not just include women; it will be written by them.

The journey of women like Durmila, Minati, and Sushma underscores that empowerment is not merely about access to resources but about the freedom to choose, lead, and transform communities. As India advances toward a Viksit Bharat, the challenge lies in closing the gaps of credit, technology, and awareness so that no woman is left behind. Odisha’s Mission Shakti demonstrates that when women are trusted with responsibility, they don’t just uplift themselves—they become engines of social change. The next chapter of India’s growth story will be defined not only by its economic strides but also by how deeply it embeds women’s agency at every level of society.

Swatee Misra is a Programme Officer at the Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Bhubaneswar. She coordinates the programme “Promotion of Nutritional Security and Millet-Based Livelihoods through Women Self-Help Groups”, supported by the Department of Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha

Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth