National R&D labs bring livelihoods to Odisha’s poorest district
The Hindu
12 government departments and 15 entrepreneurs are working with 5,000 farmers, artisans and women self-help groups in the ‘Nabarangpur model’
In 2019, a consortium of 12 national research and development laboratories joined hands in a rare effort to transform livelihoods in Odisha’s Nabarangpur, one of India’s poorest districts. Two years later, the interventions appear to be creating quite a stir.
With 56% tribal and 15% Dalit population, Nabarangpur has the lowest per capita income of ₹14,700 per annum in Odisha (at 2004-05 prices), and 50% of its working population does not have any work. At the bottom in almost all social indicators, it has been identified as an aspirational district by the Centre.
The Madras High Court on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, permitted Anna University to deposit, in three monthly instalments, an amount of ₹73.23 lakh before the Central Government Industrial Tribunal (CGIT) as a condition to hear a statutory appeal preferred by the varsity against the Coimbatore Regional Provident Fund (RPF) Commissioner’s order to pay dues to the tune of ₹2.44 crore to contract employees.