Bhubaneswar: With an aim to empower tribal communities and boost their livelihoods, the Odisha Government is all set to launch a new scheme Livelihoods Cluster Development initiative under the ‘Mukhya Mantri Janajati Jeebika Mission’.
The State Government will pump in Rs 500 crore to start the new initiative, which will be implemented by the ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department through the ‘ST Livelihood and Income Generating Programme.’
More than 1.5 lakh tribal households will benefit from the scheme in 22 tribal-dominated blocks of the State, according to an official release.
An outlay of Rs 500 crore has been made and the funds will be utilised within a period of three years from 2022-23 to 2025- 26. The scheme will be executed in these tribal-dominated blocks with the help of 22 Integrated Tribal Development Agencies (ITDAs).
The Livelihoods Cluster Development initiative will ensure timely access to quality inputs, and infrastructure support to boost livelihood scope, impart training and capacity building, and promote better production practices as well as marketing assistance in a convergence mode.
The ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department expects that as part of the State government’s development vision, the Livelihoods Cluster Development initiative will help the tribal households to engage in well-planned farm-based activities and non-farm livelihood activities that would augment their income and improve their standard of living.