A training program on Community Based Organisation (CBO) management was held at Satapada Grampanchayat on 24^th June 2022. 35 participants from women’s self-help groups, farmers groups and Panchayati Raj Institutions participated in the program.  The objective of the program was to capacitate the excluded communities on various skills to mobilise resources for their overall development.

The resource person, Mr. Uma Kant Mishra, Block Project Manager, Odisha Livelihood Mission, facilitated the training program focussing on livelihood. The participants were briefed on the objectives of the Odisha Livelihoods Mission for Mobilizing all the impoverished households into functionally effective SHGs and their federations, enhancing their access to bank credit and other financial, technical, and marketing services, building their capacities and skills for gainful and sustainable livelihoods, converging various schemes for efficient delivery of social and economic support services to poor with optimal results, and economic inclusion of women of excluded communities via three-tier economic system of (i) Self Help Groups at the village level, (ii) GP level federation (GPLP), and (iii) Block level Federation (Mahasangha), developed by Odisha Livelihood Mission, Government of Odisha.

The three-tier system for economic inclusion provides a common platform for member SHGs to share their experiences and to voice their problems, focus on financial intermediation, formation & nurture development of SHGs, he added. He further dwelled on the options for taking loans for undertaking traditional livelihood activities such as pond fishing, dry fish packaging, poultry farming, mushroom cultivation and goat rearing etc and linkages of SHGs with Odisha Horticulture Mission to undertake Mushroom cultivation, under the developed system.

There was an open session with the women members and leaders of SHGs. They raised their concerns about the non-functionality of the SHGs, difficulty in linking with the markets for the sustenance of agricultural initiatives taken by women and non-restoration of the agricultural activities post-disaster.

In action points, the SHG leaders were facilitated to prepare the livelihood plans individually or in a group to mobilise resources from the block-level women federation to undertake the livelihood activities. The representatives from 10 SHGs and 6 GP level federations prepared the plans around traditional livelihood ventures namely Vegetable cultivation, Poultry, Floriculture, Goatery, Trailer machine, Incense stick, paper plate making, Mushroom cultivation, Rice business, Dry fish packaging, Pisciculture etc. it was planned that on receiving the plans, the project staff of Odisha Livelihood Mission (OLM) would visit the individual SHG to make proper livelihood plan and take it to forward to the block level federation for sanction of the loan. The OLM would link SHGs with ORMAS for the marketing of SHG products. The OLM would also organize skill training for SHG members on identified livelihood. The implementing partner of the Global Programme India, AJSA, would facilitate the processes of OLM for the expedition of promotion of sustainable livelihoods.