Bhubaneswar: The Department of Economic Affairs on Thursday approved the state government’s proposal for Odisha PVTG Empowerment & Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP) II.
“The Department of Economic Affairs has decided to pose the project for the assistance of USD 86.33 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),” an official notification from the Ministry of Finance said.
The IFAD has been requested to take necessary action on providing financing assistance to the project proposal.
“Further, it is also requested to ensure the incorporation of the comments/observations of the NITI Aayog and Line Ministries concerned during the project preparation and implementation,” it added.
Odisha has been implementing the seven-year OPELIP since 2015 for improving livelihoods and food and nutrition security primarily of 32,090 PVTG households, 14,000 other tribal households and 16,356 other poor and Schedules Caste (SC) households living in 542 villages in 12 tribal-dominated districts of the state, at an estimated expenditure of Rs 795.41 crore of which Rs 312.37 crore was in the shape of loan from IFAD. And there were talks about plans for extending the programme further.
The state is home to the highest number of 13 PVTGs in the country.
Notably, the approval for the extension of the programme of Odisha’s SC/ST Development Department has come six months after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of a new scheme called Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) Development Mission as part of the Union Budget 2023-24. A fund of Rs 15,000 crore for the next three years has been allocated for the socioeconomic development of the group.
Bhubaneswar: The Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) near Bhubaneswar has received 11 species of animals and…
Mumbai: Abhishek Bachchan’s performance in Shoojit Sircar’s ‘I Want To Talk’ is being lauded by…
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed pleas challenging the 42nd Amendment to the…
Berhampur: Fishermen helped a giant shark, which had got stuck on the beach in Sonapur…
Jajpur: Trouble seems to have mounted further for Bhaba Prasad Das, cousin of BJD organisational…
Perth: The writing was on the wall after India had reduced Australia to 12/3 in…
Bhubaneswar: Agitated locals staged a road blockade after a mini-truck of Omfed hit an auto-rickshaw,…
Bhubaneswar: Alarmed at growing ganja peddling in the state, the Odisha government has launched a…