Odisha government signed an MoU with the Delhi-based Asian Heritage Foundation (AHF) to launch a project for creating employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities for the marginalised sections of tribal communities. The state’s Handloom, Textiles and Handicrafts Department and AHF, through the agreement ,resolved to implement a project which aimed at creating employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities for reducing poverty amongst the unemployed tribals.
The project would be implemented in two tribal dominated districts of Mayurbhanj and Koraput for a period of three years from 2015 to 2018. “It will cover 1,600 vulnerable tribal artisan families,of which 70 percent will be women, and seek to improve their ill, earning capacity and number of days of employment”, said Chief Minister Shri.Naveen Patnaik, who was present during signing of the agreement for a project in the name of “Creating Inclusive Business Model for Marginalised Tribal Communities”.
The project would be implemented at an estimated cost of Rs 2.72 crore, Patnaik said, adding, the project would involve Primary Weavers Cooperative Societies, Primary Handicraft Cooperative and self-help groups in the process. Under the scheme, clusters need to be set up, skill development workshops organised and training of young entrepreneurs to operate mobile kiosks. The project is being implemented in the three tribal dominated States of Odisha, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh under a four-year World Bank and Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) supported programme, said a release issued by the chief minister’s office.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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