The Action Group in its regular meetings, led by CYSD, deliberated several issues covering the management of quarantine centres specially the JAGRUTI experience in Kandhamal district and the ABHIYAN experience in Jajpur and Kendrapra districts. ABHIYAN’s pilot has deepened facilitatory engagements with Panchayats in both the districts. CSOs feedback and recommendations were shared with the State Government.

The redefined ‘Ekanta Nivas’ has got some traction by the rest of India. SAMARTHAN in Madhya Pradesh has done a translation and brought out an expanded version in Hindi.

Besides, CYSD’s meeting with CSO leaders at the National level on capacity building of civil society organisations, issues of migrants, the critical role of panchayats, issue of restructuring MGNREGA and the problems across the country especially in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi provided insights to help guide the Odishan civil society organisations in initiating their response to the Covid-19 appropriately.

Key Suggestions

  • Communities to be empowered to address the challenge of receiving back the migrant returnees with compassion and efficiency.
  • The TMCs should be well equipped and run in a manner that women, children and the transgender do not face any abuse. Further, the TMCs also need to be made resident friendly.
  • People’s access to their entitlements to be ensured to help them overcome the crisis created by COVID-19.
  • Job demand under MGNREGS should be transparent giving the Sarpanch complete power to receive applications and provide receipts against them, to ensure that all those who want work are able to register their demand.
  • There is urgent need to develop local, regional and state level plans to address short term, medium term and long term challenges emerged due to COVID-19.
  • Regular dialogue/interface with CSOs should be institutionalized at the State, District and Block levels as a space for feedback and opportunity for mutual support.