Government Committed to Truly Bringing Women into the Stream of Equality – Forest Minister Ganesh Naik

Inauguration of ‘MAVIM Suvarna Mahotsav – Nav Tejaswini 2025’

Empowering incapable women sisters politically, socially, and economically

Thane : While pulling the burden of their household alongside their husbands, the government is committed to truly bringing incapable women sisters into the stream of equality by empowering them politically, socially, and economically, stated Forest Minister Ganesh Naik today.

On the occasion of the successful completion of 50 years of the Women’s Economic Development Corporation (MAVIM), the inauguration of ‘MAVIM Suvarna Mahotsav – Nav Tejaswini 2025’ took place today at CIDCO Exhibition Center in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, where he was speaking.

From March 20 to 25, 2025, a district-level MAVIM ‘Suvarna Mahotsav – Nav Tejaswini 2025’ exhibition featuring various products, food items, and household utility materials made by self-help groups from rural areas was inaugurated by the State’s Forest Minister, Ganesh Naik. Initially, Minister Naik inspected the exhibition, visited stalls, and gathered information about the products and items put up for sale at the stalls.

On this occasion, Minister of Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, MLA Prashant Thakur, Secretary of Women and Child Development Department Anupkumar Yadav, Managing Director of Women and Child Development Department Varsha Ladda-Untwal, Secretary of Women’s Commission Nandini Awahade, National Coordinator of IFAD Meera Mishra, officers and employees from various government departments, and a large number of women from self-help groups across Maharashtra were present.

The inauguration ceremony commenced with the garlanding of the portrait of Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule and the lighting of the lamp.

Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, while extending greetings to all the women present on MAVIM’s Golden Jubilee Day, stated that under the leadership of Aditi Tatkare and Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, the 50th Golden Jubilee Year of MAVIM will gain excellent momentum.

Minister Naik further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only expressed the intention to empower women but also took strong steps in that direction. To ensure that women do not have to wander for water, the Jal Jeevan Mission is being implemented on a war footing. The Prime Minister’s approach toward food, clothing, shelter, and women’s dignity is positive. Whenever something was expected for women’s development in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar, along with the entire Cabinet, took a positive stance. Until women become empowered, families cannot become strong, he remarked, expressing confidence that women will become even more empowered in the future.

Minister of Women and Child Development Aditi Tatkare stated that the MAVIM Golden Jubilee celebration was possible today due to the contribution of every component of MAVIM. Every woman who has responded to MAVIM’s initiatives is an equal recipient of this celebration, just as I am as a representative of this department. She acknowledged that MAVIM faced numerous challenges to become successful, and today, more than 2 million women have participated in MAVIM. MAVIM has been honored not only at the state and national levels but also at the international level. It is an ideal model in the self-help group movement, as it provides loans to women without depending on anyone. MAVIM’s loan repayment rate is 99.05%, which makes me proud, she said, congratulating the women of MAVIM.

She further mentioned that a proposal has been submitted to the Public Works Department. It suggests that while constructing roads under the department, clean and beautiful toilets should be built for women every 35 to 50 kilometers, and if stalls are provided near these toilets, the revenue from selling MAVIM products can help maintain them. Additionally, a proposal has been submitted to the government to establish a separate ‘Asmita Bhavan’ in every municipal market at the taluka level, similar to the UMED program.

This ‘Asmita Bhavan’ will include MAVIM women’s products, sales stalls, MAVIM offices, and training centers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde, and Ajit Pawar have approved the expansion of MAVIM, and the target has been set to increase the number of MAVIM women from 2 million to at least 5 million on this Golden Jubilee Day.

Minister of State for Women and Child Development Meghna Sakore-Bordikar emphasized the willpower and perseverance of women by citing the example of Sunita Williams, who recently spent nine months in space and returned to Earth. She expressed pride in MAVIM women’s hard work and success stories.

On this occasion, women who have made remarkable contributions to the industry through MAVIM, including Rama Kamble, Swati Vitthal Shelke, Vaishali Vasant Patil, Rohini Bhanudas Kusamagade, Shashikala Narayan Dange, Manjutai Rajendra Thackeray, and Sangita Koli, were honored by dignitaries.

Additionally, three catalogs showcasing MAVIM women’s success stories and product information were released by dignitaries.

In the introductory speech, Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department Anupkumar Yadav provided detailed information about MAVIM.