Sujata Karthikeyan
Global expert on Women’s Economic Empowerment , Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN)
Was a top level bureaucrat in the Government. As Secretary Mission Shakti headed a programme for Women’s Empowerment called Mission Shakti in the state of Odisha , India. Successfully enrolled 7 million women under the Mission Shakti SHG framework—creating a unique model in the country.
• Facilitated institutional financial linkage of women SHGs, increasing funding from ₹500 crores to ₹16,000 crores—the highest growth seen in any state in India
• Initiated cross-departmental government business linkages with SHGs across 19 departments, generating ₹3,500 crore turnover and benefitting over millions of women.
• Established nationwide model for graduating SHGs to SMEs through government partnerships in paddy procurement, PDS dealership, electricity meter reading, hospital diet management, and transportation services
• Developed comprehensive marketing infrastructure through Mission Shakti Bazaar network from village to state level
• Built organisational strength by consolidating 6 lakh SHGs under 6,000+ local panchayat federations, 350 block federations, and 30 district federations
• Established a 60,000-person grassroots support network comprising women leaders
