Bhubaneswar: The Mission Shakti Department on Thursday signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) and the NSE Foundation to implement Project BLESS, a three-year initiative aimed at preventing distress migration by strengthening livelihood opportunities, skill development and entrepreneurship among vulnerable rural families.
The MoU was signed at Lok Seva Bhawan in the presence of Chief Secretary Anu Garg and Mission Shakti Secretary Manasi Nimbhal. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the Odisha Livelihoods Mission (OLM).
Project BLESS seeks to identify families vulnerable to migration before they leave their villages and connect them with sustainable livelihood opportunities, skill development programmes, financial services and government welfare schemes. The initiative aims to address the root causes of distress migration by creating long-term livelihood opportunities in rural areas.
The project will cover 69 blocks across eight districts—Balangir, Bargarh, Kalahandi, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Rayagada—benefiting around 8.81 lakh rural families and 86,468 Self-Help Groups (SHGs).
Around 550 Jeevika Sakhis selected from SHGs will support implementation at the grassroots level. The programme will be executed through SHGs, Cluster Level Federations (CLFs) and Gram Panchayat Level Federations (GPLFs).
Under the project, a mobile application-based vulnerability assessment will be conducted at the household level. The initiative will also focus on strengthening community institutions, preparing family-specific livelihood plans, providing market-driven skill development training, developing digital market platforms and extending support services for migrant workers at destination locations.
The project will ensure that vulnerable families are linked with livelihood opportunities, skill enhancement, credit facilities and government welfare schemes based on their specific needs. In cases where migration remains unavoidable, workers will be supported with access to fair wages, legal assistance and social security benefits.
The initiative will also ensure continuity of nutrition, healthcare and pre-primary education services for children of migrant families while further strengthening SHGs and their federations to enhance women’s economic empowerment.
NSE representative Rema Mohan, CRISP representatives R. Subramaniam and G.V.G. Sharma, were present virtually along with other representatives of CRISP and the NSE Foundation and officials of the Mission Shakti Department.
