ICRISAT and Odisha Government Join Hands to help Tribals in State

The Government of Odisha has reeled in the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to aid tribals in the State to handle natural resources efficiently. 

The Odisha Government has consented to an arrangement with the Hyderabad-based ICRISAT to take up limit building activities for the state's 'Especially Vulnerable Tribal Groups' that are reliant on farming. 

ICRISAT will likewise help them in water collecting, recording hydrological specification and yield efficiency. "The fundamental goal of this joint effort is advancing maintainable natural resource management through capacity building and checking. Upwards of 12 districts are covered over a time of three years," P K Jena, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Odisha, said in an articulation delivered by ICRISAT.

The locale covered under the program are Kandhamal, Sundargarh, Raygada, Kendujhar, Angul, Nuapada, Mayurbhanj, Kalahandi, Debagarh, Gajpati, Ganjam and Malkangiri. The coordinated effort is important for Odisha’s Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP), which is subsidized by the United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

ICRISAT will assist the networks with creating water collecting constructions and set up checking stations to record precipitation, run-off and other hydrological parameters in four regions where jhum or 'shifting cultivation' is exercised. 

Jacqueline Hughes, Director General of ICRISAT, said, "We will utilize its mastery in hydrology and its solid abilities in remote sensing and Geographic Information System methods. Taking all things together of ICRISAT's associations, capacity improvement has been an crucial part– across the cultivating community, government functionaries, and non-administrative associations – as it is significant for the conveyance of required yields".