• Agriculture, ignored in policy making, offers most potential for poverty reduction in the state.
• Opportunity for sustainable development in Odisha lies in tackling inequality by combining Odisha’s high growth rate with demographic dividend.
• With IFMS and an improved treasury management in the state, there is need for expenditure tracking exercise (to check diversion of funds from actual use) and expenditure incidence studies (to see who is getting benefits of expenditure) at regional level and by income groups.
• Need to invert the very paradigm of governance by increasing focus on participatory democracy.
• Policies and programmes need to be oriented towards addressing inter-district, rural-urban and social inequalities.
• Strengthening the capacity of the government apparatus for recognising and addressing gender and social discrimination issues across sectors.

• Sensitization of concerned officers on the needs of PwDs and ensuring and monitoring budget expenses.
• Ensuring orientation of PwDs in social accounting systems to make them more responsive and accountable.
• Participation of PwDs in all decision-making processes (program planning, budgeting of state programs and schemes).
• Capacity building of PwD groups/leaders in budget planning, tracking and analyzing of all programs (SSEPD budget planning at state and district level).

• Effective grievance redressal and rehabilitation of men, women, children and other vulnerable migrant workers.

A.2. Rural Employment & MGNREGA

• Implement non-digitalized payment system and delink Aadhar from MGNREGA.
• Maintain all records in MGNREGA in Odia language.
• Implement 15 days payment mode in MGNREGA and corpus fund to meet delay in payment.
• Revive, restructure and streamline SEGC (State Employment Guarantee Council).
• Double the budget under MGNREGA and reach out to at least 50% job card holders and ensure 100 days employment to 25% job card holders.

B. From Policy perspective

B.l. Migration

• Proper registration of the workforce heading for other states and ensuring insurance coverage for wage loss in the event of exigencies.
• Gender, age & ability wise segregated and digitalised registration of all migrant workers at the panchayat level.
• State policy on portability of food, welfare, health, education entitlements for inter/intrastate migrant workers.
• Formulation of Odisha Migrant Workers Welfare Board (OMWWB) and corpus fund for the welfare of vulnerable migrant workers in Odisha.
• Establishment of Interstate coordination mechanism and migration facilitating canter at sending and receive.

B.2. Rural Employment & MGNREGA

• Devolution of power to Panchayats for implementation and ownership of MGNREGA.
• Odisha minimum wage Act should be implemented in MGNREGA.
• Provision of 150 days of employment for PwD, people affected by natural calamities, distress migration and PVTG communities.

Western Odisha Migration Network (WOMN) through its network NGOs has initiated issuing identity cards to migrants signed by the local peoples’ representatives, placed village migration registers to track the movement of the workers, identify out of school children & enrol them into seasonal hostels, organise sensitisation meetings for the women workers and adolescent girls for their safety & security and organise health camps during the return time of the migrant workers .

• Ensure functionality of water testing laboratories both at state and district levels by provisioning adequate human and financial resources. Human resources must be built from collection of water from the source to transportation to laboratories to testing for the dissemination of test results to communities.
• Establish a strict regulation on ground water extraction. Ban digging bore wells in quality affected areas.
• Conservation of water must be the key focus: Rain water harvesting, wastewater treatment and reuse.
• Encourage decentralised Pipe Water Supply system rather than multi-GP mega PWS – that may be expensive in the beginning, but operation and maintenance facility and its sustainability shall be guaranteed this way. Community must be involved from the planning phase rather than handing over the facility after creation to manage.
• Though the SBM guideline prioritised the PwDs as SBM beneficiaries, yet it is limited to have a toilet in one’s house. However, it does not confirm the accessibility of the toilet. The MDWS MIS does not capture accessibility. So, while PwDs are prioritised, their accessibility to the toilets must be ensured by provisioning extra fund and suitable designs.
• The State must invest resources in Research and Development to improve appropriate toilet technology for different geo-climatic regions and develop disaster resilient models in the urban and rural context.
• The State must stop building toilets using contractors and make sure that individual households build their own toilets. At the same time the State must plan to repair and make all the damaged toilets functional (which are damaged due to poor quality of construction) constructed by Contractors.
• More focus should be on fecal sludge management beyond the urban areas, as most of the state’s present toilets are single leach pit toilets. The disposal of sludge is a great concern as the sludge is dumped in the open. So, each district, whether the district HQ has urban areas or not must have a FSTP, so that the sludge is treated.
• The IEC content should go beyond toilet construction and inform the masses about other hygiene issues – especially child feces management, drinking water, menstrual hygiene, food hygiene, handwashing at critical times etc.
• While there is a focus on solid waste management, proper disposal system for menstrual waste is unavailable (considered as bio-medical waste). With various schemes being launched we are expecting more use of sanitary pads. Therefore, a proper disposal system ought to be thought about – beyond school level incinerators, which remain defunct due to various reasons.

• Participation of PwDs in Pani Panchayats, rural household water supply committees.
• Skill development of PwDs on repairing/ maintenance and giving preference to them as Self Employed Mechanics (SEMs).
• Capacity development of ICDS, ASHAS & frontline workers on ARSH of adolescent with disabilities.
• Promoting accessible standard toilets so that it can be seen in every household.
• There should be specific guidelines from where the extra fund will be met.
• Pipe water connection to all household of PwDs free of cost.
• Capacity building of field workers and officials on disable sensitive access to these services.

• Review of implementation progress of Odisha State Policy for Girls and Women 2014 with indicators.
• Provisioning and strengthening of institutions (government /non-government / civil society / community level institutions (panchayats) in terms of quality through training, exposures, resource allocation, person power etc.
• Bringing about changes in the social normative structures that are deep-seated in all areas of a woman’s life, be it at home, public spaces, work space etc. Triggering the catalyst in oneself, influencing others, the need for engaging with young men and boys, caste panchayats emphasis on the role of civil society etc.
• Establish Police Complaint Authority in each district and at State level as directed by the Supreme Court.
• Total Ban of Liquor from Odisha.

• A State level MIS with a clear quantitative and qualitative implementation status of the Act should be prepared, updated and uploaded in the website.
• Periodic monitoring of the implementation and activating the committees under all the legislation should be ensured.
• Comprehensive campaign to address decline child sex ratio.
• Guaranteeing report to Appropriate Authorities in Form-A under PCPNDT Act and a comprehensive report at the state level.
• Ensuring stringent punishment for violating the rules under the PCPNDT Act.
• Appointment of independent Protection Officer (PO) under PWDV Act: Since the Program Officer under ICDS program has been given additional responsibilities of the Protection Officer and the registration of DIRs is very low in Odisha (1024 DIRs in 2016: SRCW), independent PO must be appointed.
• A State Protocol defining the role of PO during pre-litigation, during litigation and post litigation needs to be developed and notified.
• The nodal department should take steps to ensure coordination between PO and Judiciary. This is because once the POs file DIRs, no information on the status of the case is being provided to the PO. Further, the nodal department should take steps to activate the judiciary for implementation of the Act. The SLSA could be informed ensuring a liaison between POs and the Courts.
• In Odisha, notification of medical facilities has not been done yet. This should be done with priority.
• Mandatory quarterly reporting on the incidences of child marriage in the prescribed format and review of the issue by the District Nodal Officer.
• Trainings to the CDPOs-cum-Child Marriage Prohibition Officers and other ICDS officials on key provisions of PCMA, 2006 and OPCMR, 2009.
• Orientation to PRI members on their roles and responsibilities and important acts related to the rights of children including the PCMA.
• The penal provisions of PCMA, 2006 and the CDPO as CMPO with contact number need to be displayed at Block and Gram Panchayat Offices for public information and increased reporting of the cases.
• Quarterly/half yearly reviews should be done by the Chief Child Marriage Probation Officer on the functioning of CMPO. The monthly reports of ICDS should contain a section to report on child marriage.
• Considering the specific needs of Women with Disability under domestic violence such as – assistive devices, social & cultural participation, adolescent & hygienic needs, Sexual violence etc.

Violence at workplaces

• The information about the LCC and its members should be publicized in the newspaper and television especially at the district and block level to make it more accessible to women workers in the unorganized sector.
• As domestic workers are invisible and still not recognized as workers, all labour laws should be made to address all their issues.
• A Government notification must be sent to each establishment / factory, industry / educational institutions etc. for the formation of ICC with a mechanism to confirm reporting on an annual basis.
• The DCPU must be made responsible for the guidelines set up for schools to curb sexual abuse of students.
• A child protection policy should be made mandatory in all ashram schools and all child care institutions.
• Incentives to employers of women with disabilities.

Systemic Violence

• The rules for arrest, treatment and holding of women in the police must be adhered strictly.
• Legislate Communal violence prevention Act.
• Cases of women affected by communal violence and displacements must be investigated sensitively.
• Special provisions of alert, safety, security, rescue, relief, rehabilitation, evidence gathering etc. must be taken immediately with all gender sensitivity before and after violence.
• Special livelihood attention to WwDs during displacement, communal violence – making the system accessible to WwD.
• Social justice system to be made accessible and sensitive to the issue of WwD. (Police, Judiciaries).
• Compensation to deserted women with disabilities under victim compensation Act.

• Major poverty landscape of India overlaps with rainfed area with very high density of tribal population. Around 106 million hectares of gross cropped area in India is rainfall dependent.
• Among the aspirational districts of Odisha, Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Rayagada and Balangir are among the most rainfed districts with more than 60% of net sown area rainfed.
• Promoting, storing & preserving the indigenous variety of seeds is highly essential to fight out the growing concern of food insecurity in the state. The indigenous variety seeds once lost can never be retrieved by any other technique. Multiple cropping systems pave the way for less pests and disease incidence, encourage defenders/natural enemies, enrich soil fertility and increased income from multiple crops.
• Mixed farming strategies developed from traditional practices using ‘Indigenous Technical Knowledge’ offer flexibility to enable opportunities to be realised within a dynamic environment – e.g. opportunistic cropping when wet; sale of cattle when dry. The technique is more labour intensive, and requires low external inputs.
• Nutrition sensitive farming design needs to be focused as it mainstreams nutritional criteria in the selection of components of the farming system, integrates nutritious crops, trees, agroforestry, poultry, livestock and fisheries, tailor-made to address the nutrition needs of rural families in rainfed areas.
• There is an importance of ICT and technology and IT systems for development programs in social sectors. Mobile application has been developed for Odisha Mission Millet for offline mode data collection which enables filling of budget at district level and track the expenditure at NGO level. Development of factsheets is an example of data collection, converting the data into knowledge and how this can be useful for planning actions in development sector.
• Farmers’ Resource Centres have a key role in ensuring convergence of schemes; fund flow from departments and to gram panchayats. FRCs also provide technical support and facilitate implementation of sanctioned proposals, and so, they need to be promoted.

• Holistic development of rainfed agriculture needs comprehensive investments to be made simultaneously in soil health management, protective irrigation, promoting community-based seed systems, more research on agro-economic innovations, promotion of millets and crop diversification, livestock extension programmes, inland fisheries etc. Also, the focus of the government should lay upon making more provisions for market access and more credit flow to the most rainfed regions of the nation.
• In-situ conservation of rain-water to be promoted. This shall give scope for more watershed management, silver pastoral, protective irrigation, Crop rotation, mixed cropping, homestead farming and nutritive farming.
• Promotion of ‘Charpalia’ brinjal variety which is highly pest resistant, disease resistant with high yielding rate.
• Use of Information Technology (CLART or anything with scientific rigor) for effective and efficient planning of conservation and restoration action to ensure effectiveness of such intervention.
• To strengthen rain-fed agriculture, it is important to strengthen soil fertility. It is essential to track which land is suitable for paddy and which is not. Also, Ragi is one crop that can be cultivated in less water and needs more promotion in the drought hit areas. Creation of forests must be a most important concern of the government.
• Take composite view of interactions between nature, natural resources and people and give adequate support to strengthen their relationship. Bring in ecological priorities by developing programmatic action around farming, soil health improvement and rainfed agriculture.
• Ensure better land use planning using crop water budgeting- with space for preservation, conservation and use.
• Prepare a common land policy for the state.
• Meeting the financial requirements of small rain-fed farmers requires three lines of credit which are

a. Generic non-agriculture credit.
b. Investment credit for agriculture
c. Working capital credit, mainly for high value crops.

• All farming to be made ecological.
• Training and supporting women groups for local poultry development, goat rearing, availing veterinary services, mushroom cultivation, and nutrition garden development both for household consumption and income generation in rainfed regions.
• There is a need for small irrigation (dug well) system for Pipla Bada. Financial Support for fencing preparation needs enhancement and support to farmers for FYM collection, preparation of farmer’s cowshed and vermin-composting pit. Intervention of govt, in marketing of Pipla is required.
• Livestock rearing training should be done through MGNREGA Scheme.
• There is a need to promote “Ease of Doing agriculture in Rainfed areas” by channelizing services at local level and there is a need to attract more youth into agriculture.
• There should be a rainfed agriculture component in the existing schemes and a few new schemes sensitive to rain-fed agriculture must be launched.
• The budget should have a space for conservation of diversified crops.
• Subsidies should be given on biofertilizers and not on chemical fertilisers through DBT process.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Agro based skill training to PwDs – e.g. developing vermicompost, nursery raising etc.
• Skill development of PwDs as “ATMA” trainers on a priority basis.
• Orientation on seed bank to PwDs.
• Ensuring participation of PwDs in stakeholder planning and in producer’s group/cooperatives.

Gender Concern

• Attention on women farmers issues by providing them with land rights.
• Involvement of women in training and technology adaptation program to allow them access to new means of production.
• Promotion of local seeds and agriculture practices to create scope of using age old knowledge of women on agriculture sector.
• Ensure access to credit and financial support to women.
• Representation of women farmers in decision making bodies, governing land, water, forest and agriculture.
• Diversification of crop to ensure nutritional requirement and food security of family.

Policy Concerns

• There is a need to move from drought relief to drought proofing as Odisha is going to get frequent droughts in the next 50 years according to CRIDA.
• There is need a to have decentralised seed systems that supports indigenous varieties and farmers varieties.
• There is a need to focus on indigenous breeds of small ruminants and poultry which are also a support system for landless farmers.
• There is a need to focus on small water bodies and indigenous varieties of fish for fishery.
• There is a need to have focus on women farmers issues.

Key Policy Asks

• A carefully designed state level programme to promote rainfed farming systems including livestock and fishery, at least in aspirational districts.
• Farmers’ Resource centers to act as convergence cells for rainfed areas development in all districts.
• Formation of a working group on rainfed agriculture at the state level and national level to identify best practices and policy recommendations for rainfed areas development.

• Publication of Textbooks by the State should not be a mere translation of NCERT books but rather the local contexts may be incorporated.
• The skill-set and policy reforms required in the 21st century must be penetrated in the school system.
• A monitoring system may be evolved to strengthen classroom interactions. Mechanisms must be developed for an overall management of the schools.
• In Odisha, 35% of the students belong to the marginalized section. Hence, multi-lingual and contextual education should be introduced in every school to achieve the dream of inclusive education.
• Every year, 1 lakh children migrate with their parents to their workplace. Therefore, the Government or civil society organisations must ensure these children are provided with seasonal hostels, school facilities, minimum standard of food and other educational facilities.
• To ensure the quality of education, every school must comply with the provisions mentioned in the Right to Education Act 2009.
• The interests and needs of all students should be taken into consideration by the government when a school closure/merger takes place.
• Scrapping of the No-detention policy may cause some irreparable damages to the marginalized students of the society. Therefore, no detention policy needs to be
  accepted.
• School Management Committees (SMCs) should be strengthened and made functional in every school.
• They should have an active participation in the enrolment, assessment and management of the school.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Ensuring Individualised Education Plans (IEPs) for children with disabilities in schools.
• Ensure supply of accessible TLM on time.
• Examination adaptation as per the need of the child – time, writers, accessible question formats universal scribe policy should be mandatory and monitoring mechanism should be developed for proper implementation.
• Establishment of more Braille press in Odisha.
• Sign language & Braille training to be part of regular school curriculum.
• Accessible toilets and water facilities in schools.
• Availability of special educator in all general school with a status of other teachers in schools.
• 25% free seats should be made mandatory in private schools in which CWSN must be admitted as a priority group.

• An effective and efficient teacher support system to understand the learning gaps and extend onsite academic support to teachers in a constructive way.
• No-Detention-Policy should not be scrapped and Continuous and Comprehensive Assessment process to be strengthened and followed.
• Government should prepare a roadmap for full RtE implementation and all schools should comply with the RTE norms within a period of one year.
• The Public Education System should be strengthened instead of merging the schools.
• Government should form and enact a guideline on quality control and fee regulation for private schools.
• MLE Policy should be implemented in letter and spirit.
• There should be extended State Advisory Committee with proper guidelines. They should have power to organize consultations in different matters.
• There should be proper mechanisms for ensuring GO-NGO collaboration for the improvement of education in the state.
• Civil society organizations should be involved in identifying and conducting special training for out of school children.
• To make grievance mechanism fully systematized rather than just systemic.

• PHC team for health and wellness :
  2.a. Physician/ mid-level providers/ ANMs/ASHAs.
  2.b. Physicians to be trained in family medicine, nurses in community nursing.

2.c. Legal provisions to allow mid-level providers to provide primary care.

• PHC and NHPS :
  3.a. PHCs to retain gatekeeping function.
  3. b. NHPS to include Primary health care.
• Creating and retaining health care professionals for primary care:
  4. a. Mandate revision of UG curriculum to align with rural priorities.
  4.b. Allocate PG seats to family medicine and to community nursing/ NP.
  4.c. Make newly set up rural medical colleges responsible for district healthcare.
  4.d. Identify and accredit rural training sites.
  4.e. Set up an empowered group to identify improvements in living and working conditions of doctors and nurses in ruraf areas.

Financing health

• Healthcare provision prices need to be regulated in the context of the growing insurance mechanisms and the increasing involvement of the private parties.
• At the state level although the Govt, have introduced various insurance mechanisms, the role of public spending cannot be denied. Public spending needs to be upped to at least 3% of GDP or Rs 4000 per capita at todays prices.
• Expand the feasible Social Health Insurance models like ESIS and CGHS.
• There is a need to universalize ESIS to cover the entire organized and unorganized sector – remove salary wage ceilings for coverage and keep a minimum threshold for contributions – this could raise up to 2% of GDP additionally for health sector.
• The health system needs to be organized and brought under a single umbrella through a legal and regulatory framework.
• A national social health insurance legislation would be needed to create a single framework.
• Though various trust models have been introduced, the State should learn from the health financing models undertaken in Karnataka.

Health Services Delivery in Difficult Areas

• Innovating solutions to achieve SDGs is not/ should not be limited to products, digital apps, drugs and diagnostics. It should include approaches or applications of available knowledge, service or interventions to help the Health system rapidly move towards the State’s reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health & nutrition targets.
• Quality Nursing education is a great boon to the health care setup. Community Nursing to be given more focus in the syllabus with rural postings in established models.
• Medical ethics with case scenarios should be included in curriculum of Nursing, Medical & Paramedical courses.
• Decentralization of services – e.g. Screening of SCD, Blood Banks in Block level.
• Administrative responsibilities overlap with clinical practice time for doctors. Thus, there is a need for a Hospital Administrator for a cluster of PHCs and one per CHC to investigate the administration part.
• Sensitization of health staff including doctors on soft skills and contextual orientation by an experienced team should be planned.
• Strategic planning is required for the identification of gaps in the health service delivery and designing steps to overcome them.
• Scaling up of the CMAM and HBCC models to the rural and tribal districts of Odisha where malnutrition persists to be a major health issue.

Others

• A robust disease monitoring and surveillance system is the need of the hour with nationally representative death registration and cause of death ascertainment system, nationally representative NCDRF surveys, Health facility and population surveys to monitor the health system response.
• There is a need to develop an integrated framework such as International Network for Food and Obesi- ty/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS)so that health interacts with other goals of human development.
• There is a need to galvanize the health system and multi-sectoral coordination in a much more impactful manner.
• Policy analysis, health financing and the national health accounts need to be strengthened further and monitored regularly.
• There is a need for a comprehensive approach to deal with the health care needs of the family instead of a fragmented vertical health system.
• Legislators need to play a leadership role and take up the responsibility as well as the accountability of the health system. Their role needs to be multifarious- advocacy at national level, providing direction at the state level, guidance and monitoring at the district level, leadership for multi-stakeholder initiatives, tracking performance and outcome indicators at the constituency level.
• Education and training of health workers need to be reviewed and revised, going beyond the conventional GNM nurses and ANMs and ASHAs.
• Wide gaps in health service delivery, coverage, quality and equity need to be addressed.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Early identification of data and intervention is needed for disabled people in rural areas. The District Early intervention centre is yet to be made functional and there is a need to establish more such Early Intervention centres at all medical centres or at every PHC level. The intent should be to promote accessibility or wider reach for each PwD. Assistance by DEIC From – Identification to Referral point and complete treatment can make things easier and accessible for PwD’s.
• Coordination and cooperation between DDRC and DEIC should be established, so as to make services available to all Persons with Disability.
• Considering that health professionals, ASHA and Anganwadi workers have low awareness or knowledge on PwDs and their challenges there is an inevitable need for them to be made aware and informed about PwDs and their issues, challenges, available schemes or treatment facilities.
• Rehabilitation facilities are made available only at DDRC, which acts as a barrier to accessibility and most importantly DDRCs are not available in all districts or are mostly non-functional. Rehabilitation facilities can be taken over as a responsibility by the Health Department to make these facilities functional and improve accessibility. Thus, the DDRCs can be included under the Health Department.
• Ambulances can be made disabled friendly.
• Availability and accessibility of medicines to all PwDs: Ticket counters at medicine shops and consultation point at district hospitals, should include a different counter.
• Promote accessibility to medical facilities for all PwDs: Proper sanitation facilities and safe drinking water for PwDs is essential. Making medical facilities accessible and easy to use by Persons with Disability; Availability of a “Disability Assistance Counter” at every DHH or Major Hospitals ( SCB medical college, Capital Hospital, MKCG Hospital etc.) will be of great help.
• Availability of health insurance schemes exclusively for PwDs, reason being discrimination with PwD’s under the existing Govt. Schemes like Niramaya scheme or any other Government health schemes – Auto Inclusion of PwD in Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojan with Rs.7,00,000 as Insured amount.
• Community rehabilitation centers to be established at Panchayat level to improve rehabilitation facilities and enhance participation of PwDs in every life scenario.
• Free medicines to be made available at PHC level for children or people with disability who, are in continuous or lifelong need for medicines (For Ex- Seizure disorder, mental illness etc.)

• Promotion of community protection of forests as the methods followed by the indigenous communities are far better than the so-called scientific methods adopted by the Forest Department.
• Involvement of community members in the implementation of FRA.
• Community mobilisation to build pressure on the concerned authorities to deal with the bureaucratic hassles on the way of rights recognition process.
• Mechanisms should be developed to ensure proper representation of women in Gram Sabhas and women involvement in decision making when it comes to forests, their protection and management.
• Proper utilisation of Right to Information for monitoring the progress and demanding accountability.
• While the existing system of the government to procure Kendu leaves (it is applicable to other forest produce too) need to be improved, the interested and competent Gram Sabhas, which have Community Rights, should be given the power to operate the trade..
• There must be more intensified efforts on the part of the CSOs, NGOs and communities to convert the forest villages into revenue villages.
• The state government should frame guidelines to benefit the differently-abled people under the FRA. In Gram Sabhas, there should be proper representation of the differently-abled people.
• As the wild flora and fauna are more climate resilient than cultivated crops, community-driven measures should be initiated for their conservation and sustainable use.
• It is high time we prepared strategies to integrate the provisions of the Forest Rights Act in the wider spectrum of political and economic development.
• The struggle for FRA should be a part of the anti-capitalist movement to make it more effective.
• Inclusion of FRA studies in school and college syllabus.

• Forest villages are denied basic infrastructure because of not being revenue villages. As per 2011 census, Odisha has close to 600 such villages, while the actual number is more than 5,000. They must be converted into revenue villages under the FRA and provided with all government facilities.
• Communities must be allowed and supported to manage their forests for food and Minor Forest Produce-based livelihoods. There should be full freedom to communities for collection, processing and sale of these items – especially Kendu leaves and Bamboo. There needs to be a thorough rehauling of laws and rules to ensure full compliance with the provisions of the Forest Rights Act. Mahua and excise rules can be flagged separately, and GST over Kendu Leaves should be either fully waived off or brought down to the level applicable to tobacco leaves.
• The best way to enhance forest cover is to allow communities to oversee their revival. Plantation if required, should be done by the community, and the locations and the species of trees to be planted should be decided by the Gram Sabha with proper representation of women. There should never be any forced plantation on land used by communities.
• FRA is first such law which provides legal space to women. But, in last 10 years of its implementation, gender disaggregated data is ignored and not given much emphasis. Disaggregated information on the extent of IFR titles provided to women with further disaggregation on marital status is essential to ensure greater focus on the forest rights of women. This needs to be taken up seriously by the government.
• The state government should come up with a robust online database portal on FRA, reflecting suggested information on community rights and community forest resources rights, individual forest rights with disaggregated information on women and differently-abled rights holder, conversion of forest/un-sur- veyed Villages to revenue villages, habitat rights of PVTGs and RoR correction on IFR and CFR. The tribal development department should immediately replace the present ambiguous database system with a robust online application.

• There is a need of structural change in the Governance system i.e. bottom to top approach along with the change in the perspective and world view of the people regarding the tribals.
• Tribal governance to be incorporated with Single Line Administration System.
• There is a necessity to adopt collective approach by the Civil Society Organisations, local leaders, social activists and the government.
• A proactive approach by the Governor’s Office with respect to the 5th Scheduled Areas, specifically in terms of implementation of PESA and FRA is crucial.
• There is a need to restructure the Tribal Action Committee and make it more proactive.
• Inter Departmental Convergence, at the block, district and state level, will only be possible only if the political and bureaucratic will align.
• Outcome budgeting of the funds allocated for various schemes and initiatives of tribal development.
• Implementation of the PESA and FRA, by keeping their spirit intact and empowering the Gram Sabha.
• Replicating the Maharashtra model of Transferring 5% of the TSP fund to the Gram Sabha.
• There is a need to adopt a specific approach, rather than a uniform approach for the 62 tribes and 13 PVTGs in respect to the micro projects.
• There is a need to conduct regular orientations of the Government officials and village people regarding the tribal policies, laws and schemes.
• There is a need to stress on the use of tribal language in the education and health system.
• It is time to make adequate policies and to ensure proper implementation of the current policy with respect to the differently abled people of the tribal area.
• There is a need to organize regular and frequent orientation of the government officials and the Gram Sabha members on the tribal laws, policies and schemes.
• It is time to grant ST status to the Jhodia, Kanda and Dora tribes and to make efforts in terms of restoration of the tribal culture and language.
• Reform the current functionaries of ITDA.
• The TSP and other fund for the benefit of the STs should be administered and monitored by ITDA. The ITDA should spend the money as per the plan and decision of the Gram Sabha.
• A tribal cell should be opened at the Governor’s office for the administration of schedule areas.
• Odisha should replace the three principal Panchayat laws (Odisha Gram Panchayat/ OGP Act 1964, Panchayat Samiti Act 1959 and Zilla Parishad Act 1991) by a single consolidated panchayat law like other states and in conformity with the letter and spirit of the part IX of the constitution and PESA Act, 1996.
• Include tribal and Panchayat representatives for planning of money allocated in the District Minerals Fund and TSP.
• Enforce the Orissa Scheduled Area Transfer of Immovable Property (OSATIP) Regulation Act of 1956 and restrict the transfer of patta land of tribal to non-tribal.
• Bring a state policy on mother tongue-based preschool in tribal areas; appoint tribal anganwadi workers and develop culture appropriate curriculum.

• Representation of tribal PwDs in district planning committee & other advisory committees.
• Involving and promoting PwDs in tribal art & handicraft development. Giving preference to PwDs on kiosk allotment to sell minor forest produce.
• Ear mark funds for PwDs under tribal development plan.

• Institutionalized community centric response mechanism at panchayat or ground zero. There is a need to emphasize on the concept of first responder (the community) and their preparedness.
• Capacity building training modules need to be reviewed to make them need-based.
• The modern & traditional knowledge and skills need to be mixed and improvised. Use innovative ideas to reach out to youths as most of them are tech savvy these days.
• Convergence of Disaster Management and Climate Change Action Plans. Risk & Resilience aspects need to be and embedded in all departmental training calendars and a pool of resilience expertise needs to be identified/built in various sectors to support sustainable planning and development actions.

Financing for resilience building

• Effective use of Mitigation Funds of state, central and other agencies in taking up diversified capacity building programmes. Skill development has focused more on search & rescue, communication. More investment is need for preparedness and response.
• The government has earmarked very little money for resilience and even that amount is underutilized. There is a need to tap the existing government schemes and invest in making all the existing infrastructures compatible first. Existing policies and programmes need to be implemented properly.
• Proactive steps like insurance of lives and properties, sensitisation at all levels, promotion of organic agriculture, afforestation, promoting biofuel and alternative energy, and development of knowledge hub and information exchange etc.
• Funds from different sources (Government, CSR, Own fund of the Panchayat and generation by the communities (Kalahandi Gram Sabha has already shown the way), international scopes such as REDD+, Carbon market, Commitments from industrial economies etc) should flow through Panchayats and have a community led approach.
• Community resilient funds should be initiated at the village levels, primarily through their own contribution. Green Climate Fund must be available at village, Panchayat, Block and district levels.
• Plans of all departments must be integrated and informed and all their programmes must stick to the combined decided actions.

Sustainable Actions at Community Level

• Disaster risk management programmes and policies requires to be inclusive of all participants and address all phases of disaster management cycle.
• Palli Sabha and Gram Sabha must discuss issues intensively. Use of PRA and PLA techniques and community’s understanding of decentralized plans must be given importance. Community resilience forum is a possibility under the PRA.
• Integration of all DM plans with GP plans that is informed by traditional knowledge of the community and community practices need to be ensured through knowledge building.
• Integration of disaster management plans by all government departments with focus on communication and coordination.
• Improve connectivity – the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana fails to include most tribal habitations as they do not match with the population criteria.
• Identify and assess vulnerabilities through comprehensive community processes and participatory disaster risk audits independent of Environment Impact Assessment. All infrastructure development must integrate risk.
• Lightning casualties are increasing in Odisha. There is a need to develop protocols and management practices.
• Other recommendations include—discouraging brick construction, strengthening cyclone shelter management practices, Mangrove restoration, strategizing indigenous knowledge in protection, decentralised weather data collection and management system etc.
• Like Andhra Pradesh, Odisha must have a state organic policy and provide subsidy for organic fertilizer. There is a lot of release of ammonia gas by fertiliser companies and increase in use of urea.
• Strong regulation on carbon emission and promotion of indigenous plant centric afforestation.

• Reduce carbon emission and tap alternative safer sources of energy.
• Minimize the residual risk with inter-agency and inter-state coordination, risk informed programmes, and focus more on the vulnerable. We need to move from PPP to ABCD: Administration, Business, Civil society, Development partnerships.
• Decentralised risk assessment, planning and action. Risk informed action will succeed only when the people at the grassroots participate therein and when their knowledge and experiences are integrated in the decision-making process. Panchayat and Gram Sabha should be risk-informed and such information should show in their action.
• There is a need to improve documentation and dissemination. More attention needs to be paid to the collection of quality data and proper data dissemination.
• Child wellbeing index should be linked to vulnerability and risks. Past disasters have brought scare, particularly to the children. Psycho-social support and trauma care is very important.
• Risk financing has three major components: a) risk avoiding, b) risk sharing and c) risk transfer.
• Creation of a pool of experts and resource persons to respond to the most difficult situation in the most effective manner. The state must come forward.
• Every learning must reach out to the people.
• Institution based engagement have limited impact. Creating and integrating values is more essential.
• Every disaster has a differential pattern of impact and demonstrates differential pattern of recovery. A blanket approach for everything should not be entertained.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Ensuring Inclusion of PwDs in community based DRR plan.
• Inclusion of PwDs in district level disaster risk reduction committees.
• Rescue & rehab team of DRR to be sensitized on disability.

• Nutrition Sensitive Policies: The policies relating to agriculture, WASH, disaster and emergencies, food security, women empowerment and livelihoods need to be revisited to mainstream nutrition.
• Streamline Supplies: the existing micronutrient supplementation programmes in the State and other drugs need to begin with proper adequate indenting, timely procurement and supply till the level of frontline workers.
• Introduce and universalize Computer Application Software (CAS) to improve transparency, public accountability and access. MCP cards need to be updated at the beneficiary level to the level of State MIS Cell.
• AWC in every village/hamlet: Every hamlet of the village should have an ICDS centre (at least mini AWC centre) to cater to the needs of the excluded children. Prevalence of undernutrition is more in excluded far off hamlets away from the AWCs. Just tagging such hamlets with the main AWC is not the solution. There should be extensive follow up and advocacy for opening up AWCs even for hamlets with population less than 150. AWCs to be declared as Centers of Excellence and conversion of all Anganwadi centers into day-long creches so that the 6 months -3 years cohort, could be incentivized to attend.
• Introduce Nutrition Budgeting: Odisha may introduce Nutrition Sector Budgeting from the financial year 2018-19 to emerge as a Nutrition Pioneer in the country.
• Review current anaemia strategy on an emergent basis: The State requires an anaemia policy, based on cutting edge research, including Sickle Cell Anemia.
• Institutionalize ration card portability system: Many vulnerable communities like PVTGs, migrating population are deprived of their food and nutrition entitlements due to the non-portability of ration cards they possess when they migrate or shift. Thus, ration card portability system may be institutionalized in the state. Similar portability should be explored in provision of ICDS THR for mothers and children.
• Construction of AWC, separate toilets for boys/girls, hygienic kitchen sheds and drinking water facility in all AWCs and schools – District specific plans should be prepared with appropriate tagging of the the funding sources (DMF, MPLAD, MLALAD, CSR, State Govt, funds etc) so that full coverage can be ensured in the next three years.
• Strengthen Public Health Laboratories: To take up quality test of MDM, SNP, THR, drinking water, iodised salt and double fortified salt, the State Public Health Laboratory needs to be strengthened with adequate manpower and logistics.
• Introduce community based SAM Management: For more effective result oriented Management of SAM (Severe Acute Malnutrition), the State must address issues like poor Bed Occupancy Rate in NRCs, lack of follow up visits after discharge and the absence of any community based SAM management program at the AWC level.
• Auto-inclusion of all senior citizens in the state in Food Security Scheme needs to be done (Food for all)
• There should be Nutrition Policy for the State including Geriatric Nutrition and numbers of Research/study on nutrition status of elderly in Odisha must be done.
• There should be availability of Cooked Food for the elderly who can’t afford to cook due to old age and have no support system.

• Nutrition for Out of school adolescent girls: A separate programme/strategy is vital for their periodic health checkups, provision of nutritional supplementation and education.
• Follow the life cycle approach with a focus on first 1000 days and mainstream Nutrition in all development programs. Family should be the unit of counselling on VHNDs and immunization days in these 1,000 days with regular institutional arrangements for all pregnant women to undergo periodic and complete antenatal check-up, tetanus toxoid immunization, IFA and calcium supplementation. Robust real time monitoring system (through ICT) to check services and distribution of supplies should also be in focus.
• Follow the life cycle approach with a focus on first 1000 days and mainstream Nutrition in all development programs. Family should be the unit of counselling on VHNDs and immunization days in these 1,000 days with regular institutional arrangements for all pregnant women to undergo periodic and complete antenatal check-up, tetanus toxoid immunization, IFA and calcium supplementation. Robust real time monitoring system (through ICT) to check services and distribution of supplies should also be in focus.
• Build a cadre of women change leaders in Nutrition: Build 2,00,000-2,50,0000 Change Leaders/Volunteers of women and girls at the hamlet level with proper reward and recognition mechanisms. These change leaders can address exclusion, increase home contact and lead the movement at the grassroots.

Social Behaviour Change Communication for nutrition

• State Nutrition Social Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) Strategy: A state level SBCC strategy is required based on state specific evidence, aligned with the available resources.
• Increased investments in improving the performance of frontline health & nutrition workers in delivering quality MIYCN services with focus on interpersonal counselling is fundamental. Such initiatives must be regular, incremental, universal and thoroughly monitored.
• 60% of food should be consumed by the farmer’s family members; remaining 40% may go to market for sale.
• Regularization of National Creche Scheme in the state.
• Adopting the idea of a family farm and the concept of an Eco-village can be an immediate solution for malnutrition at ground level.
• Develop of Nutri-Smart village for combating malnutrition in tribal districts of Odisha, to promote IFS, nutritional garden and animal rearing for farm households to supplement the nutritional requirement of the family, to train the farm women on preparation, consumption, and storage of nutritious food to address hidden hunger and to intensify agro-based entrepreneurship among tribal women SHGs.
• Adopt NSA (Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture) method in farming.
• Application of Farming System for Nutrition (FSN), which is a food-based approach to agricultural development that puts nutritionally rich foods and dietary diversity at the heart of overcoming malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
• Sensitize rural people on Dietary diversity, ANC, taking more food, rest & care to Pregnant women, PNC & taking more food, underweight/SAM and LBW Baby, ensuring EBF to Lactating mothers, and special care for adolescent girls, use of Iron utensils etc. can address the issue of malnutrition.
• Use of web-based CAS (Common Application Software) will work as a job aid to strong monitoring of the service delivery of Anganwadi centres in the country. This can help to improve the nutrition levels of children in the country.
• Under MGNREGS, people can plan to grow fruits and vegetables and develop kitchen gardens. Nutrition clusters can be settled at the district level specially in the left wing extremist areas and through these steps we can ensure food and nutrition security of everyone in the community.
• There is a need to strengthen the community’s literacy and community based institutions.

Convergence and Coordination or Institutional Arrangements in Nutrition

• Micronutrient Deficiency Control and Prevention policy: A systematic and well-structured and scientific management of micronutrient malnutrition through dietary diversity, supplementation, large scale food fortification and biofortification can address the problem and prevent harmful effects of over dosages of vitamins and minerals.
• A comprehensive regulation and policy on food fortification with strong safety and regulatory measures needs to be brought out. A clear strategy from the Government to promote large-scale fortification of food and promoting new investment is needed to build, improve and sustain fortification programmes. Work out a strategy to initiate distribution of fortified THR and double fortified salt to ICDS beneficiaries.
• A state specific representative database on the deficiency of various micronutrients (age group, gender, residence, education and caste segregated wise) is needed to guide the development of nutrition interventions and public health programs such as dietary diversification, micronutrient fortification and supplementation. Therefore, the Government should commission comprehensive periodic studies (every 3 years) to ascertain the level of micro nutrient deficiencies through partnership with medical colleges, ICMR, IARI, CFTRI, NIN or multilateral agencies engaged in such researches.
• Ranking of the districts and blocks based on nutrition indicators: Such annual ranking should be based on Hunger Mapping and regular ICT based collection of Nutrition and health data. It will help to take evidence-based decisions instead of waiting for NFHS data which is available once in a decade.
• Mapping of availability of key micronutrients in the soil and plant species till block level may be taken up in convergence with research institutions.
• Safe Food Law: Accessing safe and nutritious food is an important driver for better nutrition. The state needs to revisit the current policies and legislations and bring out its own policy based on modern research and standards. Every producer/manufacturers should confirm to Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) systems and mechanisms.
• Make Odisha Open Defecation Free state by 2019:
  WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) interventions have a significant impact on reduction of micro nutrient deficiencies. Integration of WASH components into nutrition policies and programmes should be promoted. Convergent programming, WASH promotion through Nutrition, Health and Education platforms, prioritizing monitoring of WASH facilities and practices in key institutions must be focused upon. Conduct research/study using premier institutes like IIT/ICMR on the impact of Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan in preventing malnutrition, anemia, micronutrient deficiencies and neonatal mortality.
• Emphasize on Climate-Smart Agriculture: A policy breakthrough is required in revolutionizing dry land agriculture. Climate-smart agriculture needs to be pursued to address nutrition needs along with an outreach strategy through collectivization like Farmer Producers Organizations. Additional focus on nutritional aspects at the family level like Kitchen Gardening, efficient ways for water usage, mitigating risks keeping in mild drought, flood, cyclone etc. and cluster development programs. Organic farming and sustainable agricultural practices should be the priority areas in agricultural strategies of the state.
• Promoting a diversified food system: Such a system can improve the affordability of nutrition rich legumes, nutrition dense food and livestock products (backyard kitchen garden, dairy, poultry). Enhancing farmers’ ability to diversify production systems and adoption of nutrition sensitive agriculture pathways would require high level of public and private sector investment in production, storage, transportation, preservation and distribution.
• Policy reforms to link MGNREGA to promote kitchen garden, and bio fortified crops at panchayat lands/wasteland.
• Introduce sugary taxes and stop trans-fats across the state.
• Nutrition literacy and monitoring should be linked to institutions of local governance and for participatory planning: Nutrition agenda must have the ownership of the Gram Sabha and for this, there has to be a persistent effort to raise nutrition as an issue at the Gram Sabha level. The involvement of local governance in the monitoring of nutrition interventions should be prioritized. The PRI should be actively involved in monitoring of Village Health Nutrition and Sanitation Day (VHNSD), organising of Special Gram Sabha on food and nutrition, supervision of regular weighing and provision of all nutrition specific interventions.
• Strengthen nutrition across value chain: The FCI and state procurement agency must start silo storage and look at nutrition, prevent aflatoxin and practice recommended food safety measures from farm to finger.

Setting the institutional arrangement right in the medium term

• Establish a State Department of Food and Nutrition and Directorate of Nutrition.
• Give more power to the State Food & Nutrition Commission.
• Transform the State Public Health Laboratory into a state of the art laboratory with adequate logistics and resources to conduct food safety quality tests.
• Establish a Bio-Fortification Mission and Biosafety Authority: Odisha can be a pioneer.
• Setup a Centre for Excellence on Sickle-Cell Anaemia and Anaemia Management in Odisha.
• Establish a State Nutrition Resource Centre (like Chhattisgarh model of state health resource Centre).
• Put in place a special convergence/coordination mechanism for Left Wing Extremist (LWE) infested regions (in line with Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Track Council).
• Build and strengthen ICDS sector level convergence mechanisms backed by a strong MIS and empowerment of ICDS Sector Supervisors.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Provision for additional nutritious food for children and person with disability.
• Each PwD to be provided with an “ANTODYAYA” Card. Strengthen existing Food security schemes for persons with disability to ensure wider reach and availability of the scheme for PWDs.
• Rations to be made available to persons with high mobility restriction at their doorstep.

• There is a need to organize separate sabha for women (Mahila Sabha) at hamlet level. In this regard the State Government needs to revisit the Odisha Gram Pancha- yat (OGP) Rules.
• Training of Ward members needs to be done for proper functioning of the standing committees.
• In Odisha, the Palli Sabha should be either renamed as Gram Sabha or each revenue village should be reorganized as a Gram Panchayat so that the participation of the voters in the Gram Sabha is better. In this regard, Odisha Gram Panchayat (OGP) Rules need to be revised.
• In the scheduled areas as per the provisions of PESA each habitation should be recognized as a Gram Sabha or a Gram Panchayat.
• As per the Central Finance Commission (C.F.C.) and State Finance Commission (S.F.C.) recommendations fund flow to PRIs have increased but the PRIs do not have enough competent functionaries. The state government should transfer most of the departments and their functionaries to the PRIs.
• The PRIs should have authority over all NTFPs including kendu leaf, Bamboo and minor minerals including sand for raising their own fund.
• Provisions like two-child norm and minimum educational qualification for the candidates need to be removed as that has been preventing many women and tribals from contesting the elections.
• Funds for MGNREGS should be released directly to the PRIs for smooth implementation of the programme and timely payment of wages to the labourers.
• Odisha can learn from best practices of PRIs that are followed by other States like Kerala

• Sensitization of the PRI members on needs of PWDs and their orientation on disability schemes.
• Ensuring participation of PWDs in GPDP.
• Availability of disability disaggregated data at GP level- Baseline survey for 21 categories of disability at GP level, population, entitlement, schemes, benefits accessed etc. For example, Database on PWD workers under MGNREGA at GP level.
• Reservation on representation of PWDs in Panchayat governance system.
• Priority to PWDs in kiosk allotment (vending zone & market complex).
• Ensuring the voting rights of PwDs – accessibility of the booth, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) etc.
• Invitation to PwD representative to standing committees at GP, Block and District levels.
• Provisioning access to school for children with disabilities

• The Ward Sabhas (under the Odisha Municipality Act) should be made more functional. Inclusive citizens’ engagement in planning with exclusive planning to address specific concerns is crucial. Odisha’s urban planning needs to address the rich ecological footprints of the urban Odisha.
• Inter departmental convergence should be initiated: Inter-departmental Coordination and convergence is essential in creating sustainable urban space. This should be taken care of by the urban planners.
• Multi stakeholders’ involvement through participation: Multiple stakeholders should participate in conceptualising, implementation and monitoring of all government programmes and plans for development in Odisha. While aiming a decentralized planning, a multi stakeholder engagement is a need.
• Capping mechanism for Migration: Migration from rural to urban is increasing day by day. Proper planning to accommodate the high flow of migration is an issue. In this regard, a capping mechanism should be developed to provide a regulatory framework for this.
• Role of Civil Societies: The civil society organizations should work as both pressure and support groups on executing urban plans and programmes.
• In order to ensure participatory democracy in the urban sector, the ULBs should include its citizens in urban development discourse also for the implementation of urban welfare schemes.
• Varied city specific planning has been done globally. But there is a need of decentralized planning at the local level. Specifically, in the urban sector, the planning office should be shifted to the ward level.
• Equitable distribution of resources and livelihood creation should be an integral part of any smart city programme.
• Electricity should be replaced with solar panels across the Bhubaneswar city and the BMC officials can take the help of experts across the city.

Slum Dwellers

• Constitution of Slum Improvement/Welfare Board: A Slum Improvement/Welfare Board should be constituted in every Municipal Corporation to address the basic services concern and accessibility issues of the urban poor.
• In the year 2017, the state government has passed the historic Land Rights for Slum Dwellers Act. Land is people’s basic need and the slum dwellers of Odisha must be given their land rights. Growing concerns of housing and their periodic threat of eviction of the slum dwellers can be managed by following the Land Rights for Slum Dwellers Act 2017 passed by the Govt, of Odisha.

Safety

• Odisha must develop key action plans to adopt gender responsive public services: In urban Odisha most women belonging to low economic background engages in factory work, domestic labour or are part of the larger informal economy. The state should ensure -vocational training for innovative ideas, support to women and their SHGs for income generation activities, hostel for working women, creche facilities for women workers with children, safe vending zones, one stop centres for women, and increasing awareness of better health and hygiene for women.
• There should be a sexual harassment cell for women and girls working at malls and shops.
• Adequate and safe toilets: Women attendants should be deployed in public toilets to make women feel comfortable to use them as well as seek help in cases of emergency. Water in public toilets must be regular and treated. Besides, regular electricity in toilets should also be mady compulsory as many of them remain dark and disconnected.
• Other safety measures include:
  4.a. Good lighting, CCTV cameras in public places.
  4.b. Increasing the number of women at police stations to make them more accessible to women in need.
  4.c. To make transportation systems more wom- en-friendly through strict protocols.
  4.d. Adopt methods like Participatory Safety Audit (PSA to map their cities and understand how the notion of safety changes in the city based on one’s gender.
• Disable friendly facility should be initiated: As on June 2018, total PwD persons of the state are 335801. Of them, 187665 are male and are 148136 females. In this regard, the state should be responsive enough to facilitate disable friendly public and community toilets. This should be initiated to fulfil the target of SBM.

Transgender

• Inclusion of transgender data collection investiga- tors/surveyors for transgender surveys.
• Setting up of Transgender Cells at the police stations: The rights of the transgender should be taken into prior consideration, they are prone to severe exploitation, discrimination and abuse. To protect their rights and take their grievances, independent cells at the respective police stations need to be formed consisting of transgender representatives to address the concerns of the transgenders as well.
• The transgender cell should run a toll-free helpline number to address the grievances of the transgender with a free legal aid and counselling.
• ID cards to the transgender people to be issued by Police.
• Establish a Transgender Board led by transgender members.
• To raise sensitivity toward the transgender community, there should be government sponsored advertisements.

• Urban public services to be made disability friendly like Banks, ATMs hospitals, post office, railway station, Bus stand, public toilets, labor Addas etc within 3 yrs time- frame as per the RPD Act.
• Participation of PwDs in urban planning. – ward Sabha, Reservation in kiosk distribution, list of vendors with disability-database and facilitating schemes.
• Auditory traffic control systems will be of great help.
• Urban bodies should facilitate the reach & accessibility of Children with Disabilities to services like schools, parks from the slums etc .
• Promoting PwD forums in the cities is the need of the hour.

• Inclusive education should be given top priority (focus should be on technology).
• 5% reservation of PwDs in the 3 tier PRIs system.
• PwD pension should be 50% of the minimum wage and should vary from time to time based on the current inflation rate in the state.
• Separate health insurance cards for PwDs.
• Equality among contradictory policies for socially excluded groups like marriage incentive, and allocation of food etc.
• 5% of budgetary provision for PwDs under each department in state and district level allocation; regular monitoring of expenditure to ensure the implementation.
• Disaggregated real-time data tracking of each flagship program implemented in both rural and urban areas under state and central Govt, support.
• PwD representation should be mandatory in all community level planning and grievance redressal system.
• Proper implementation of EOO in all colleges and universities.

Elderly

• Effective implementation of Odisha State Policy for Senior Citizens – 2016 and Maintenance Act 2007.
• Inclusion through social security:
  2.a. Food Security: Fresh cooked food for the most vulnerable at village level and Auto -inclusion of all senior citizens in Food Security Scheme of Govt, of Odisha
  2.b. Health Security: Specific guidelines for inclusion of elderly in the Health schemes over and above the prescribed limit. Set up of Geriatric Care Centres, Geriatric wards in hospitals, Caregiver training and placement institutions.
  2. c. Social wellbeing: Old Age Pension/Universal
  pension of at least Rs. 2000 per month or half of minimum wages per month, subject to revision as per inflation.
• Economic Inclusion:
  3. a. Inclusion of elderly in the NRLM/ OLM framework
  and effective implementation of the same.
  3.b. Inclusion of elderly in Odisha Skill Development Authority priorities -Age specific second livelihood opportunity and skill development of senior citizens.

For SC/ST/Dalits

• For proper implementation of SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act:
  l.a. Appoint a high-level Committee to review the implementation of the SC/ST (PoA) Act, assess the realization of its objectives, and take appropriate and speedy action for strengthening the Act for effective implementation in future.
  l.b. Take immediate legal and departmental disciplinary action against police officials who neglect to discharge their duties under section 4 of the Act and for all cases filed under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. Ensure regular meetings of state and level vigilance and monitoring committees, as per Rules 16 & 17 SC/ST (PoA) Rules.
  l.c. Involve human rights organisations and individuals working for and with SCs/STs in the deliberations of these State and District level Vigilance and Monitoring Committees as members or invitees. Ensure the implementation of precautionary and preventive measures in atrocity prone areas as prescribed under rule 3 SC/ST (PoA) Rules.
• 1 d. Complete the trial within 2 months of the date of submission of report.
  1. e. The District Magistrate should review at least twice
  a year the performance of Special Public Prosecutors.
• Awareness generation on SC/ST pre and post matriculation scholarships and facilitation of the process in camp mode will increase access to the benefit.
• Sensitization and training of all wardens of Ashram Schools for fair and equal treatment to SC/ST students.
• Hostel facility for SC/ST students migrating from far off places to prepare for competitive exams.

Minorities

• Formation of State Minority Commission
• Revamping of Odisha Minority Development & Financial Corporation (OMDFC).
• State Govt. Programme and Schemes Tailored for the needs of the Minorities.
• Communal Harmony Guideline should be followed.
• 5% Budget Allocation from each Dept, implemented in true spirit.
• BLC, DLC & SLC Level Monitoring Committee Meetings should be held on a regular basis.
• Implementation of Forests Rights Act—Land for traditional forest dwellers.
• Sensitization of communities & concerned officials on issues related to the minorities.

• Inclusion of PWDs in 5 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals means that by 2030, there will be sufficient data with the government to implement policies and schemes for PWDs. The civil society needs to use this opportunity and should become the voice of the voiceless.

Opportunities for SC/ST? Dalits, PwDs, Elderly, Minorities and Transgender:

Policies and programmes for Dalits/SC/STs:

• Kalinga Jyoti Yojana provides education loan at 1% interest to all needy students.
• Hostel construction for students coming to Bhubaneswar to prepare for competitive exams has been done.
• Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocity (Amendment Act)-2015 is in place.
• SC & ST Prevention of Atrocity Rules-1995 and 2016.
• Odisha SC & ST Protection Cell.
• Establishment of exclusive Special Courts and appointment of Exclusive Special Public prosecutors.
• Completion of trial of the case within two months, from the date of filing of the charge sheet
• State Vigilance and Monitoring Committee
• Scheduled Caste Advisory Council
• Compensation package for Atrocity victims.
• Ashram Schools run by SC &ST Department.
• Prerana Stipend
• Anmesha – Support for study in English medium schools.
• The Odisha Land Reforms Act 1960 under Sections 45 and 51 have provisions of settlement of 70 per cent of surplus land in a village for SCs and STs and other landless poor.
• Odisha Bhoodan Act.
• The Odisha Government Land Settlement Act 1962 is enacted with the prime objective of settlement of waste land in a planned manner uniformly throughout the State.
• Forest Rights for Other Traditional Forest Dwellers.
• Scheduled Caste Sub plan- Allocation in the budget proportionate to SC population.

Policies and programmes for PwDs

• Five strong laws/policies i.e. (RPWD Act-2016, NT Act, RCI Act, MH act, RTE)
• International convention CRPD-2006. Scheme for Implementation of Persons with Disabilities Act (SI PDA)
• New special schools (52) for children with disabilities have been recognized by the SSEPD Department and provided with the maintenance grant.
• The Department of SSEPD Published Braille Calendar notifying the Government Holidays and distributed among the visually impaired persons free of cost.
• Celebration of International Day for PWDs.
• Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan (Accessible India Campaign) launched by the govt, on 3rd December, 2015 to provide a life of ease and dignity to divyang persons (PWDs).
• Odisha has been chosen as a pilot state to undertake such campaign.
• Efforts have been made to make at least 50% of all govt, buildings in the state capital and all state capital fully accessible. Special Camps organized for distribution of aids and assistive devices to 8 lakh PWDs.
• A training cum production hub, a special library for the PWDs and a women’s hostel for PWDs students were started during the year.
• A special ITI exclusively for PWDs has been made functional by giving renewed thrust to their skill development.
• Four job fairs were organized to promote the employment of the PWDs job seekers in the private sector. Mega camps were held for the rehabilitation of PWDs and distribution of aids and appliances to them.
• Enthusiastic bankers extended DRI loans to the eligible PWDs for their rehabilitation.

Policies and programmes for PwDs

• 10 decimal of homestead land (Odisha Govt, land settlement rule 1983) for under Basundhar scheme in 2006.
• A financial assistance of Rs. 1,000 per month to the parents of every transgender.
• Monthly pre-matric scholarship (Class VII to X) of Rs.150 to day scholars and Rs.350 to hostellers for 10 months in a year.
• Monthly post-matric scholarship (XI and above) of Rs.550 for day scholar & Rs.1,200 for hosteller for 10 months.
• There is reimbursement of compulsory refundable fees during higher study.
• For skill development, Rs 15,000 per transgender trainee for 200 hours with stipend amounting to Rs 1,000 per month.
• Subsidy linked to a maximum of Rs.5 lakh entrepreneurship loan.
• There are also pension schemes for transgenders at Rs 1,000 per month.

Entitlements for Transgender under different schemes

• 10 decimal of homestead land (Odisha Govt, land settlement rule 1983) for under Basundhar scheme in 2006.
• A financial assistance of Rs.1,000 per month to the parents of every transgender.
• Monthly pre-matric scholarship (Class VII to X) of Rs.150 to day scholars and Rs.350 to hostellers for 10 months in a year.
• Monthly post-matric scholarship (XI and above) of Rs.550 for day scholar & Rs.1,200 for hosteller for 10 months.
• There is reimbursement of compulsory refundable fees during higher studies.
• For skill development, Rs 15,000 per transgender trainee for 200 hours with stipend amounting to Rs 1,000 per month.
• Subsidy linked to a maximum of Rs.5 lakh entrepreneurship loan.
• There are also pension schemes for transgenders at Rs 1,000 per month

Programmes for Minorities

• Prime Minister’s 15 Point Program:
  l.a. Enhancing opportunity for education (1-6)
  l.b. Equitable share in Economic Activities and Employment (7- 9)
  l.c. Improving the condition of Living of Minorities (10-11)
  l.d. Prevention and Control of Communal Riots (13-15)
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram – Special Budget for Gap Filling & Non Gap Filling Program in 19 MCBs & 1 MCT
• Naya Savera / Nayi Udaan
• National Minority Dev., Financial Corporation, State SC/ST and Minority Financial Corporation
• Nai Roshni – Leadership Development Training for Minority Women
• Sikho aur Kamao (Learn & Earn)
• Padho Pardesh – Foreign Higher Studies with 1% bank interest per annum
• Nalanda Project (28.02.2014) IEC
• Maulana Azad Edu. Foundation – Scholarships for Meritorious Girls
• Nayi Manzil ( Education & Skill Training) USD 100 Million (Rs. 650 CRORE)
• Humari Dharohar

Policies and Programmes for Elderly

• Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 and State Rules 2009
• Odisha State Policy 2016: Age Care, Health, Livelihood, Transport, Awareness, Nutrition etc.
• National Food Security Act, 2013
• Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension (IGOAP)
• Madhubabu Pension Yojana
• Health Insurance schemes: RSBY, BKKY, BSKY
• Governance/systemic scope
  7.a. District and State Level Committees of Senior Citizens as per MWPSCA 2007.
  7.b. State Council of Senior Citizens as per MWPSCA 2007 and Odisha State Policy 2016.
  7.c. Grievance at Sub-Collector’s office as per MWPSCA 2007.

• Curriculum Changes- Curriculum of academic programmes should integrate social responsibility and necessary pedagogical tools should be developed to make this integration sustainable.
• Translational Research- Make research socially productive and application-based so that it benefits communities.
• Incentivize U-CL- To systematize U-CL, it must be incentivized by UGC through credits, grades, promotions and salaries.
• Promote Interactions- Universities can reward and recognize various social change agents during their important events. Artisans, farmers, artists should be invited to universities for open interactions, which will also help bridge the divide between formal knowledge and experiential knowledge.
• Knowledge without Degrees’- Since real world requires more than just formal degrees, practitioners or everyday people, who do not possess big educational degrees, can be educators, who will bring their everyday knowledge to classrooms and curriculums, to transform universities. Practices should be established to learn from such knowledge systems, to document and archive them.
• Learn from and Contextualize Global Practices -Universities should actively reflect on and learn from global practices of U-CL like PASCAL Labs, Science Shops, GUNI, ACU, Tallories Network etc.
• Participation in National/State Missions – HEIs should actively participate in Central and State Government Schemes like Unnat Bharat Abhiyan to contribute to the indigenous development of self-sufficient and sustainable village clusters.
• Instead of doing different things, universities can ‘do their core work differently’:
  9.a. Catalyze Learning instead of teaching.
  9.b. Service as mutual empowerment instead of a mere charity function.
  9.c. Generate and Mobilize Knowledge instead of just doing research; take account of what communities and their local knowledge can teach us. This approach will not only lead to generation of local knowledge but will also yield local solutions and localize development.
• All disciplines can have a component of U-CL- It should not be limited to or made mandatory for only certain types of disciplines, which are perceived as being more oriented towards the society.
• Integration of experiential and formal learning-Various strategies like vocational training programmes, co-creation of technologies, life skills training programmes, environment preservation and industrial training programmes can be employed to enhance students-community interface, where the experiential and the formal learning can be integrated with each other.

• The translation of the contents of publications in local language, in order to involve community in the dissemination of research findings.
• Accord more importance to social science than natural science. To find the real engagement of communities with HEIs, the syllabus must be redesigned.
• Sensitivity and inclusion to the issues of people with disability in a real sense.

• Agri-business centres and agriclinics are needed on a large scale.
• Farm schools need to be established in the fields of young farmers, to promote farmer to farmer learning.
• Village level designated skill development teams shall be promoted with the participation of people which are structurally linked at the PRI level, block/district and state levels.
• Regular planning and review of skill development initiatives shall be done at these levels. New technologies such as biotechnology should be introduced, after careful consideration of risks and benefits.
• Soft-skills and vocational curriculum in relevant sectors should be introduced at the school level to enable the students to have an informed choice in future.

Recommendations from pre-conclave caucus

• Giving priorities to PwDs while selecting for green skill development.
• Specific training on Soft skill & entrepreneurship development for PwDs.
• Facilitating easy financing for PwDs to encourage self-employment & entrepreneurship.
• Ensuring 5% utilization of funds allocated by Govt under livelihood & skill development mission for PwDs.
• Activation of Mission Kshyamata for promoting self-help groups of PwDs and enhancing the green skills.
• Skill development department to ensure accessibility features, specific trades of training as well as special trainers for youths with disabilities in the advanced training centres to ensure inclusion in true sense.
• Skill development of PwDs as trainers in ATMA (block & district level).
• Inclusion of PwDs in ATMA committee at block level.
• Priority should be given to PwDs in land allotment lease in the villages and communities.
• Inclusion of PwDs in district level (small & larger scale industries), in DLPC, BLPC.
• DRI loan to be simplified for PwDs.

• Redefine Standards by relooking/removing QP and NOSs with inputs from practitioners for at least top 10 Popular Job Roles of Agriculture, Dairy and Pisciculture.
• Involve agripreneurs/industries/firms in providing training, curriculum development, internship, assessment and placement/employment/entrepreneurship counselling.
• Create cluster-based community focussed skills map through participatory approach
  giving due importance to the existing skills of the clan / community and addressing challenges of traditional livelihoods..
• Focus on career counselling and career guidance for school children, school drop outs, communities and parents (urban and rural).
• Provide immediate recognition to agriculture practitioners not only through existing RPL assessments but through felicitation, certificates and celebrating success stories.
• Effective tracking of youth through Post Placement Migration Support Centre.

• The hydrological boundary of River should be given importance considering the total river basin as a unit instead of administrative boundary.
• Pollution from point and non-point sources need to be checked in war footing mode.
• River health must be prioritized and kept in first place; access to rivers by the life and livelihood dependent communities in second place and allocation of water for different purpose at the end.
• Catchment area conservation and protecting forest in river catchment area should be prioritized.
• There is a need to ensure community-based River basin management by taking care of right to river and right of river to flow free and clean. There is also a need to invest in local knowledge management and involvement of women, youth and other stakeholders.
• Water allocation and management decisions made at one level, for example, the diplomatic or Government level, should translate into socially and environmentally acceptable outcomes at the local level. The costs of river development (economic, environmental and social externalities) need to be better accounted for in planning processes.
• Need to work in partnerships, networks and platforms, and engage with local self-governments, government bodies and the private sector, to build alliances in engaging, resolving conflicts, and preventing conflicts with large and powerful entities. We need a governance paradigm that opens the decision-making arena to non-state actors, all in support of the governments and their respective mandates.
• River commissions are required not to allocate water but to ensure river health /ecology.

• Accessible and protected river basins for PwDs to ensure effective maintenance and amusement. Inclusion of PwDs in district and state level pollution control advisory board.
• Pwds participation in managing river basins by CSR funds.
• Involvement of youth, pwds, women in river protection committee (in the villages near river basin).

• Parents and adults must be demonstrated with knowledge and attitude towards protecting children from ANEV (Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Violence)

For Community Accountability on Child Protection

• Community Based Child Protection Committees should be formed to prevent and foster an environment free from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation against children.
• VLCPCs need to be made functional and effective within the community

For Child Friendly Accountability at Institution Level

• At schools, students should be made familiar with the children’s right to protection.
• Government officials must also be committed in delivering their duties and responsibilities to protect children from ANEV (Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Violence) through awareness creation, promoting community led research and advocacy.

Other Recommendations

• Various stakeholders need to discuss further ways to improve child protection system, through institutional strengthening, and to mainstream Child Friendly Accountability, at the community, district and state levels.
• Adequate budget especially for ICPS, SCPCR, and creation of Juvenile Justice Funds must be set aside for Implementation of Child Labor Act along with an effective monitoring system for the implementation of child friendly services.
• Life skill, school safety, gender and child protection should be a part of our education curriculum at schools.
• Adequate infrastructure and HR arrangements should be enhanced at the administrative level to enforce child protection laws.
• Schools must be made free from other activities like providing shelter during emergencies, deploying police or CRPF in the schools during social festivals or other occasions. Children should not be debarred from their education at any point of time.

• CCIs need to improve infrastructure and human resources to improve accessibility by children with Disability.
• Availability of assistive devices/mobility devices, to promote accessibility for children who are unable to reach the centres.
• DCPO, and Child Protection Officers to be made accountable and be actively engaged in the services related to children with disability to ensure accessibility and protection to children.
• Ensuring participation in extracurricular activities i.e. sports, arts, dance etc. Thus, special activity classes for disabled children can be made available to promote inclusiveness. Provision of financial assistance (Scholarship etc.) for children with disability, who want to further pursue sports or any other talent should be provided.

• There should be more elasticity in the deployment of CSR services in all the zones/pockets of Odisha where there are developmental needs and aspirations.
• The state should take policy initiative to drive CSR as per the developmental needs of the districts/commu- nities and that the corporates should be more proactive in “going beyond the walls”.
• Policies should be made to help the corporate to see through the state and make their efforts more inclusive.
• CSR needs to be planned considering the gaps in development process. Stakeholder engagement, specifically community involvement, a crucial aspect for need identification and planning of CSR projects, needs to be followed.
• It is essential to urge the district authorities to take a policy drive to provide for a specialised Task Force at the district for CSR.
• In the state, the civil society organisations should be pulled in to the CSR bodies and be given advisory roles.
• There should be an initiative to clarify that NGOs are non-profit making social organisations and work at community levels.
• For creating long-term impact and contributing to the developmental endeavour in Odisha, companies must integrate their CSR programmes with the schemes of the government.
• There is a need to simplify the mega goals of SDGs with the significant resource supplementation from CSR and break them down to relevant indicators to rank the districts on a real-time basis.
• The state through various mechanisms like the DMF, CAMPA is expected to supplement local body finances by providing them with appropriate fiscal space.
• CSR website of the state needs to be made more transactional. The GIS maps of the projects, being implemented utilising the CSR funds should be placed on this website and extension and updation of the website should be made on a regular basis.
• There needs greater commitment by the companies in reporting on their environmental and social impacts and continuously improving their performance.

• 5% of company spending on CSR should be the minimum spending for the disability sector.
• Equal opportunities environment in corporate sector.
• Expanding the CSR support beyond their operational area.