Odisha Govt Signs MoU With UMC For Technical Support To MUKTA Programme

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has signed an MoU with Urban Management Centre (UMC) to provide technical support for capacity building of flagship programme “Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyaan” (MUKTA).

The MoU was signed by Housing & Urban Development Principal Secretary G Mathi Vathanan UMC Director Manvita Baradi recently, an official release said on Thursday.

As per the pact, a Technical Support Unit will support all ULB officials, Mission Shakti Groups, Slum Development Associations and other stakeholders involved in the MUKTA ecosystem.

It will focus on strengthening the system and building capacities of Mission Shakti groups to participate in MUKTA program in identifying and implementing various community projects as Community Contractors.

Emphasis will be given on asset creation that will ensure sustainable livelihoods for the Mission Shakti groups as well as create wage employment opportunities for the urban poor, it said.

It may be mentioned here that during the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic, to provide immediate employment opportunities to the daily wage seekers the state government had launched the Urban Wage Employment Initiative (UWEI) across 114 ULBs in Odisha.

Subsequently, it  converted and  into a flagship programme called Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyaan (MUKTA), launched by the Chief Minister and is now implemented across 115 ULBs of the state. The aim of the programme is to provide wage employment opportunities to the urban poor, the wage seekers, through creation of community assets.

The state is pioneering the community partnership model, which provides unprecedented opportunity to the community based organisations such as Mission Shakti Groups (MSG), Transgender Groups(TG) and Slum Dwellers Associations (SDAs) to work as “community contractors” in the implementation of MUKTA.

With UMC’s technical support, the knowledge, skills and capacities of MSGs/SDAs will be strengthened to be effective partners in implementation of MUKTA. Strengthening system and building capacities will help them participate in the MUKTA program in identifying and implementing various community projects as Community Contractors.

Among others Sarada Prasad Panda, Joint Secretary and Project Director, State Urban Development Agency, who is also the State Nodal Officer for MUKTA, and other departmental officers were present during the MoU signing .