“The Department of Economic Affairs has decided to pose the project for the assistance of USD 86.33 million from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),” an official notification from the Ministry of Finance said.

The IFAD has been requested to take necessary action on providing financing assistance to the project proposal.

“Further, it is also requested to ensure the incorporation of the comments/observations of the NITI Aayog and Line Ministries concerned during the project preparation and implementation,” it added.

Odisha has been implementing the seven-year OPELIP since 2015 for improving livelihoods and food and nutrition security primarily of 32,090 PVTG households, 14,000 other tribal households and 16,356 other poor and Schedules Caste (SC) households living in 542 villages in 12 tribal-dominated districts of the state, at an estimated expenditure of Rs 795.41 crore of which Rs 312.37 crore was in the shape of loan from IFAD. And there were talks about plans for extending the programme further.

The state is home to the highest number of 13 PVTGs in the country.

Notably, the approval for the extension of the programme of Odisha’s SC/ST Development Department has come six months after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of a new scheme called Pradhan Mantri PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) Development Mission as part of the Union Budget 2023-24. A fund of Rs 15,000 crore for the next three years has been allocated for the socioeconomic development of the group.