Raipur, Nov 30: The International Fund for Agricultural Development(IFAD) President Lennart Bagea has said his organisation has approved a 90 million US dollar tribal development project for Orissa. IFAD board has approved a 90 million US dollar Orissa tribal empowerment and livelihood project which will be started from next year, Bage told a news agency here last evening. To provide assistance to vulnerable tribal communities in the uplands of Orissa, the loan agreement would most likely be signed next month, said Bage, who was here to visit the IFAD project sites in the state. The country portfolio manager for Asia and pacific division of IFAD, Shyam Khadka, who was also present, said the project will cover the undivided Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput region of Orissa.

Since IFAD identified the tribal population of Kashipur block of undivided Koraput district as the primary target group in 1985 and adopted broad-based interventions in natural resources management and rural infrastructure, the block will also be included in the project this time, Khadka said.
The Kashipur area was in the news last year for alleged starvation deaths.

Bureau Report