Odisha elections 2019: Aska nominee among 1st to join Mission Shakti

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: A pleasant surprise awaited Pramila Bisoi, a woman self-help group leader, on Monday. She was chosen as BJD's

Lok Sabha

candidate from Aska by party president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik.

The 70-year-old woman from Cheramaria village in Nalabanta

gram panchayat

under Aska block is one of the first women to have joined the Mission Shakti movement launched by the BJD government in March 2001.

Pramila, who has never participated even in ward member elections, will fight with political heavyweights to secure a seat in the Lok Sabha. Even senior leaders of the party were not aware of the BJD president's move. "It was a surprise for me. I want to thank chief minister Naveen Patnaik for reposing his faith in me. If elected, I would continue to work for the welfare of women, which I have been doing for the past 18 years through the Mission Shakti movement," she said.

The CM's surprise pick was from among many senior leaders of his party, who were lobbying for the Lok Sabha constituency, which also includes chief minister Naveen Patnaik's Hinjili assembly segment.

Though Pramila does not know

Hindi

or English, she is confident of being active in the Lok Sabha, if elected. While announcing Pramila's name for the Aska Lok Sabha constituency, Naveen said, "It is my honour to pay tribute to the 70 lakh women associated with the Mission Shakti movement".

The Mission Shakti initiative was started for the economic empowerment of women. They were provided bank loans at low interest rates to take up various livelihood activities.

Pramila, who was in the city during the announcement of her candidature, met Naveen at his residence and sought his blessings. Mother of two sons and two daughters, Pramila earns Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 a month. She owns less than an acre of agricultural land. While her elder son owns a tea stall in Pramila's native village, her younger son Ranjan works in a motorcycle garage.

As part of the Mission Shakti movement, she creates awareness among women about institutional delivery, vaccination and use of safe drinking water. She helped her village become open defecation free by launching a special campaign with the help of other women. The state government has also conferred many awards on Pramila for her efforts to protect the environment. Pramila's elder son Dilip, who accompanied his mother to the chief minister's residence, expressed his happiness after his mother's name was nominated by the BJD. "No one from our family has ever been in politics. The chief minister awarded my mother for her hard work," said Dilip.