CM seeks $ 2.5 m UNDP aid for cyclone relief

CM seeks $ 2.5 m UNDP aid for cyclone relief
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

BHUBANESWAR, FEB 14: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has requested Mark Malloch Brown, Under Secretary-General of UN and Administrator of United Nations Development Project (UNDP), to provide an additional allocation of $ 2.5 million for sustainable livelihood, strengthening agricultural marketing system, disaster preparedness and mitigation in the cyclone-affected areas of the state.

Part of the assistance will also be spent on supporting design development and marketing of state's handicrafts, handlooms and textiles. Brown, who is on a two-day visit of the state, met Patnaik at the state secretariat along with other UN functionaries.

Addressing a joint news conference, the Chief Minister said that UN's plan of operation for the current year is of the order of Rs 230 crore. He said since the super-cyclone of 1999, the UN system has come together to support the state in loss recovery, livelihood alternatives, disaster preparedness and management.

Stating that the government is committed to disaster preparedness at all levels, Patnaik said a plan has been drawn up to spend Rs 1,500 crore during the next 10 years for watershed management in the state. It will help in long-term solution for the chronic drought situation in the western parts of the state.

Agreeing that a lot still needs to be done, both Brown and Patnaik expressed their satisfaction over the progress of rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the cyclone-affected areas. Brown said the UN system will re-double its efforts in reducing vulnerability of the most disadvantaged communities in the disaster-prone coastal districts of the state. He said among the post super-cyclone rehabilitation efforts mounted by the UN family, the community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) exercises in the villages is a positive outcome.

The UK-based Department for International Development (DFID) has committed $ 1.6 lakh for the UNDP for continuing the CBDP initiative in the 10 most vulnerable coastal blocks of the state. He said the resources will be used for NGO networking, hiring national UN volunteers and imparting training at the panchayat level.

Brown said the Swiss Development Cooperation with UNDP is supporting with $ 3.44 lakh for construction of cyclone-resistant structures. The UN Inter Sectoral Team, working closely with the State Disaster Mitigation Authority, would facilitate focus on these priority areas among all UN agencies, he added.

This will include information sharing, value-added coordination, common database, gap analysis and synergy with all other stake holders such as community based organisations, NGOs and donors.

Brown said with DFID funding of $ 3.57 lakh, the UN sectoral team is focusing on traditional technologies like rain water harvesting and ground water recharging as long-term solution to several drought-affected western Orissa districts.

The immediate subsistence needs of the worst-hit communities will also be met by the project through the food-for-work modality.