The Consortium of ADRA India, Caritas India, and Christian Aid has been implementing Rapid Emergency Response activities in Assam and Bihar with funding from ECHO from July 2019 and continued till 9^th January 2020. The Consortium Partners embarked upon the Inclusion Monitoring study, to verify the validity of selected households under the ECHO project. The immediate objective of the study is to improve the beneficiary selection process and quality of programme intervention in future emergency responses. The study assessed the extent of inclusion and access to public disaster relief by the ST, SC, Minorities and other marginalised communities in the aftermath of floods in Assam in July 2019. The findings from this study will also be used to inform the Humanitarian stakeholders, viz., the IAG, Government, and agencies towards developing appropriate steps in inclusive disaster response plans, programmes, and strategies with adequate resource allocations.

On 9^th January 2020 State level Consultation was organized by IAG, Assam on Inclusion Monitoring of the marginalized communities in Post Disaster Response ‘to assess the availability of and extent of access to Government’s disaster rescue and relief services by the marginalized communities, and thereby, recommend and enable better inclusion’. 46 participants from ASDMA, UNICEF and 23 I NGOs and local NGOs were present. The study was done in 3 districts of Assam and was presented by national Dalit Watch (NDW), a specialized unit of the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR) in the meeting.

Mr. Mukta Ram Deka and Ms. Mridusmita Borah from ASDMA, in their remark, assured inclusion of the study findings in the DRR Roadmap of Assam Government. The outcome of the meeting was that the present all the humanitarian actors were sensitized on the issues of inclusion through field findings and unanimously agreed to- 1) make humanitarian response more inclusive, 2) identify key indicators to measure inclusive humanitarian response and 3) define future role of IAG in ensuring Inclusion in Humanitarian Response.

As a follow up of this and to include views of IAG member organizations in the DRR roadmap of ASDMA, IAG would call a general meeting at the state level within one month’s time.