Caritas India is all set to roll out its BMZ Global Programme in all four states namely, Assam, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. The programme will cover 260 villages in 18 districts to build resilience to natural calamities, enhanced nutritional and food security, social inclusion and strengthening civil society learning.

On 23^rd June 2021, Programme Thematic Associate – DRR of Caritas India Ms. Kalika Mohapatra along with partner organization, Balasore Social Service Society (BSSS) met Mr. Gyan Ranjan Das, Bhadrak District Collector at his office and shared an overview of the BMZ Global Programme India. The meeting was attended by Father Lijo, John, Satya and a Sister from BSSS, representatives from District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and ADM of Bhadrak.

In Odisha, the programme will be implemented in 4 districts including Bhadrak. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Government of Germany and Caritas Germany funded this programme to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 13 (Climate Action).

The team shared the process of selecting Bhadrak and Basudevpur for the interventions were shared and sought suggestions from the District Authority. The District Collector too ascertained that these are very interior and low lying areas frequently prone to floods due to water from rivers and sea surges. The importance of resilience-building was discussed in addition to the need for effective stakeholder coordination to build capacities of local communities.

As there are very few organizations operating in these areas the District Collector suggested the team to initiate coordination meetings at the district level for effective collaboration between government and NGOs. The District Administration is interested in the planned programme activities and would like to be kept informed on the initiatives in the programme areas.

The District Collector advised that the local partner, BSSS to closely engage with the ADM and Emergency Officer at the district level so that they could provide their support to the programme.

In order to initiate the programme activities an official programme launching workshop was planned for 30^th June 2021 and suggested involving the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA). All the government officials and Block Development Officer (BDO) of Basudevpur have been invited to participate in this workshop.

Finally, the District Collector appreciated the initiatives of Caritas India and the partner organizations towards the resilience building of the state and assured of extending necessary support and cooperation.