Social protection schemes are effective measures to reduce poverty and build resilience, especially in developing countries like India. These schemes guarantee basic subsistence to all its citizens, especially the poor and the underprivileged.

The Global Programme India working in Assam, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal with an objective to improve their access to various Public Welfare Programmes apart from ensuring Food and Food Safety, Disaster Reduction, and Inclusion of marginalised communities.

After the intervention of the program in the Ganjam District of Odisha, a record was maintained of people who need to be linked with government social protection schemes and services. This record was the outcome of the participatory disaster risk assessment (PDRA) exercise conducted in all selected villages under the guidance of the Society for Welfare, Animation, and Development (SWAD). This exercise was conducted to assess the household and community level existing hazards, disaster risks, vulnerability, resources, and capacities and identify the plans to mitigate, prevent and manage the disaster impacts at the household and communities level.

The PDRA has revealed that a lot of vulnerable margnilised communities are exposed to various disasters and live without any social protection. The society has organized capacity-building at the community level in coordination with Gram Panchayats to know the reason why so many eligible people are not linked with government programs and schemes.

The program has created an interface and coordination meeting at the Gram Panchayat to support vulnerable groups to apply for the schemes. Inadequate supporting documents were identified as one of the major reasons behind application rejection. SWAD prepared a list of vulnerable people without adequate and appropriate documents and supported them to apply for the social security schemes with correct documents like ADHAAR cards, bank accounts, and Voter ID cards for submission of applications for the schemes.

Global program at the micro level linked 66 people to the public welfare programs to receive benefits of Old Age Pensions, Widow Pensions, and Unmarried pension schemes. Similarly, five persons with disabilities were also linked with Social Security and the Persons with Disabilities department to receive tri cycles to improve their mobility and participation in the risk reduction meetings.

The programme has also ensured social protection for daily wagers and migrant workers by registering them for the eSHARM card. This was made possible by organizing an interface between labor department and migrant laborers. The program has registered 80 persons (M-25 +F – 55) from Balasinghapalli village under UDSpur Gram Panchayat. All are linked with the Pradhan Mantri Shram-Yogi Maandhan Scheme (PM-SYM) to get a pension of Rs 3000/- per month when he/she attains 60 years. 7 students belonging to these families also received Rs. 20000/- as an education scholarship for higher education. The scheme also provides financial support of Rs. 50,000 to the girls for their marriage which was availed by two families.

In addition to preventing people from falling into a cycle of poverty, social protection gives them the tools they need to take advantage of opportunities, assist with adaptation to change, deal with unemployment, and ultimately boost productivity. The significance of social policies and social protection systems that address and reduce inequality and social exclusion should therefore be taken into account in order to achieve long-term sustainable and inclusive growth toward resilience building.