WB announces 13 lakh dollar for Orissa Development Initiative

Bhubaneswar, Mar 1 (UNI) The World Bank today announced a grant of 1,300,000 dollars for Orissa Fund For Development Initiative (OFFDI) to address core social development issues facing the state.

The grant, official sources said, had been created out of funds provided by the Government of Japan through Japan Social Development Fund Grant, managed by the World Bank.

The OFFDI would be implemented in Baragarh, Deogarh, Keonjhar and Sambalpur districts in addition to Pallahada block of Angul district and Banei of Sundargarh district.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who launched the programme here today, said the OFFDI would aim at improving the livelihood in a sustainable manner and enhance the income of the rural people, particularly the skilled people in the informal sector.

The key issues in the programme included focus on social inclusion by targeting marginal and vulnerable groups in Orissa, linkage to market through process facilitation, business development service and create identity for products through branding.

The initiative under the programme would provide a good framework for linking both the formal and informal sectors of the economy and address the forward market linkages providing support structures for the local network and quality control.

World Bank Representative Sam Thangarja, who was present at the launching ceremony, said the OFFDI would help the government to create a special registered brand for Orissa's handloom and link them with market through e-markets.

The programme would be implemented through community livelihood action programme (CLAP) by the NGOs and financially viable Cooperatives and Community based organisations.

The Orissa government would take some special initiatives like setting up of yarn bank, capacity building of the weavers, emphasis on cultivation of medicinal plants and support marketing of the medicinal plants and their initial process for value addition.

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