Present Activities

Currently, around the globe, senior citizens are being deprived of their rights. They face acute problems on the psychological, financial and social fronts. There are thousands around us who are playing this penultimate role on the stage of the world. For some, the going is good but for many it is a saga of suffering. They do not have those around them whom they long for. They do not find the supporting hands they need. They do not get the love they yearn for. They miss the people who would make them smile. Some live in isolation even while living with children. Some want to pass their final days at home, but can’t. In the above context, the need of old age home arises and Govt. of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has been rightly running the project “Maintenance of Senior Citizen’s Home” under the scheme “An Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens”.

In our society women has long been the victims of discrimination. Old women who are single, abandoned or widowed face multiple barriers due to illiteracy, malnourishment, abuse, ill-health, lack of housing and exclusion from economic benefits. Senior citizens in India face a number of challenges, but the situation is worse in case of elderly women. Elderly women face bias and discrimination throughout their life but they never raise their voice against it.
From the above, it is pertinent that the older women especially the widows are one of the most neglected sections of our society. Their rights are not being safeguarded. To address the issue and provide a dignified living for these widows, NRDC has been managing the projects named as “Senior Citizen’s Home for women” in two locations such as Tarabha under Subarnapur district, The center has been shifted from Bolangir district to Subarnapu district in the year 2019-20 & another at Balidokan near by Puri Jaganathdham of Puri district. Fifty nos. of women are staying in the center in Subarnapur district and also same 50 nos. of women are staying in Puri district & receiving integrated support & care services like lodging, nutritious food, healthcare, recreational services and assistance for productive engagement.
The said two projects are being run with our own resources. We are making necessary effort to avail financial assistance from Govt. of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment under the scheme “An Integrated programme for Senior Citizens”.

Man’s environment consists of natural resources like air, land, water, plants, and animals. With the progress of industrialization and civilization, man has interacted with his surroundings and disturbed the nature. It leads to environmental pollution, which cannot be eradicated by nature’s self-acting process, i.e., various biogeochemical cycles. Environmental problems stem from two main categories of human activities: (a) resources utilization at unsustainable levels and contamination of the environment through pollution and (b) discharge of wastes at levels beyond the earth’s and environment’s capacity to absorb them or render them harmless which results in ecological damage and degradation of the environment. Considering the alarming level of pollution the Environmental protection and management has become one of the foremost concerns of the world community. Hence, environmental protection has become not only local, regional, or national importance but also a global concern. Various environment protection measures are now being adopted by the Government. Our organization has also lending its support in the process. Our organization is contributing in its effort to safeguarding the environment by promoting afforestation and using the same for economic self sustenance. NRDC has been managing a decentralized nursery at Kakatpur under Puri district of Odisha.

During the reporting year the said nursery at Balidokan under Kakatpur block of Puri district produced 100000 seedlings of which 35000 seedlings were distributed to the targeted mass free of cost and the remaining 65000 seedlings were sold to the people on subsidized rate to create revenue for the organization and to meet the expenses of the nursery. Such an effort has served the dual purpose of creating useful resources for the community and helping in bio-diversity conservation.

Notwithstanding wholehearted efforts by Govt. as well Non Govt. agencies, there is still a large no of women of our society living in difficulty without any socio-economic support. They need rehabilitation assistance for their mainstreaming. To address the problem of these women in difficulty, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India has introduced the Swadhar Greh Scheme. This scheme is meant for residential rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances. The Scheme envisages providing shelter, food, clothing and healthcare as well as economic and social security for these women. Also through the scheme the affected women get free legal aid and guidance to address their marital disputes so as to adjust them in their family or society for a peaceful living. NRDC has been the implementing the Swadhar Greh in the name of “Ashraya” Swadhar Greh at Sonepur (Palace Garden) under Subarnapur district of Odisha. This center is in operation since 2008-09 and accommodating 30 women in difficult circumstances with their minor children up to 12 years in case of boys and girls up to the age of 18 years. All the desired care and services are being made available to the inmates of the Home for their complete rehabilitation including lodging, boarding, clothing, healthcare, vocational training, legal assistance and rehabilitation assistance for re-integration in the community. The children of the inmates have also been accommodated in the home. The children are being provided all types of facilities along with education in the local Govt. Schools and AWC below 6years of child. Further for economic rehabilitation and mainstreaming the inmates are being provided market demand driven vocational skill training in two trades like Food Processing & Tailoring to suit the education of level of knowledge are being imparted. This project has been a welcome destination for the women in difficulty and hopefully will remain so. The organization also regularly organized awareness camp on HIV/AIDS involving the inmates of the Home with its own resources targeting the vulnerable groups like migrant laborers.

This is a programme of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of persons with Disabilities under DDRS Scheme. Children with severe multiple disabilities who have difficulty in coping with regular schools are referred to such special schools. Most of these special schools are located in urban areas and run by voluntary organizations. A majority of them are residential schools, and boarding- lodging and other services are provided free of cost. The main thrust of special education is to develop communication skills and other sensory abilities, with the end objective varying from acquiring daily living skills to integration in regular institutions of learning and society in general.

NRDC has been running the said school since last five years which got grant-in-aid during the year 2017-18. The project is located at Panisiali, Po-S.Kalapathar under Subarnapur district of Odisha. Disabled children are enrolled and provided with education along with integrated care & protection services with the help of specially trained teachers with special educational aids. The project is being sponsored by the Govt. of India, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of persons with Disabilities. During the year 38 nos. of children with disability were admitted. The project is located at Sonepur of Odisha and serving will provide service to deaf & dumb children only.

Drug abuse is a global phenomenon, affecting almost every country, but its extent and characteristics differ from region to region. Illicit drug abuse not only affects the health and lives of individuals but also undermines the political, social, and cultural foundation of all countries. Problems of drug dependence produce dramatic costs to all societies in terms of lost productivity, transmission of infectious diseases, family and social disorder, crime, and excessive utilization of health care. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account.  Considering the fact that drug abuse is one of the most serious problems for our society which needs to be addresses effectively, our organization has been actively associated in the Drug Abuse prevention programme since last one and half decade. We have been managing the project “ Integrated Rehabilitation Center for Addicts (IRCA) at Tarva in Subarnapur district of Odisha since 2003-04. The project is sponsored by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India since from 2007-08. Integrated services including awareness generation against the ill effects of different types of drugs, identification of addicts, motivational counseling for de-toxification, counseling sessions, after care services, work place rehabilitation and social re-integration, therapeutic services like Yoga Therapy, Group Therapy, Relaxation Therapy etc. are being undertaken with the help of trained and qualified manpower to reduce the drug abuse. During the year 221nos. of addicts were treated successfully and re-integrated with the society. Also another IRCA has been established at Dolagudi under Guduvela Block of Bolangir district in which 5beds are in position During the year 60 nos. of beneficiaries were provided Services through the centre.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) is a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to 2019 that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, smaller towns, and rural areas. The objectives of Swachh Bharat include eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring toilet use. Run by the Government of India, the mission aims to achieve an Open-Defecation Free (ODF) India by 2 October 2019, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, by constructing 90 million toilets in rural India.  NRDC has been promoting this programme in Khurda district with co-operation of RWSM, Khordha, Govt. of Odisha. Under this initiative our organization has organized of various awareness camps in Bhubaneswar Block of Khurda district, Odisha.

In our Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered corona virus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness. The best way to prevent and slow down transmission is be well informed about the COVID-19 virus, the disease it causes and how it spreads. Protect yourself and others from infection by washing your hands or using an alcohol based rub frequently and not touching your face. Our organization took initiatives to reduce the impact of the virus by educating the people on the following issues in Balipatna, Balianta & Bhubaneswar block with Bhubaneswar Municipality of Khurda district, Kaktpur, Astaranga & Gop block of Puri district and All 6 blocks of Subarnapur district. • Use a Mask while going out • Regularly and thoroughly clean the hands with an alcohol-based hand wash • Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. • Avoid going to crowded places. • Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. • Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. • Stay home and self-isolate even with minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, until you recover. • If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, but call by telephone in advance if possible and follow the directions of your local health authority. Keep up to date on the latest information from trusted sources, such as WHO or your local and national health authorities. Local and national authorities are best placed to advise on what people in your area should be doing to protect themselves.

Our state is regarded as backward in pisciculture as majority of fish are imported from neighboring states like Andhra Pradesh to meet our daily demand. The farmers of our state lack knowledge & attitude to take up pisciculture on commercial basis. The farmers should therefore come forward and take the various incentives available from the Govt. and promote pisciculture to fulfill the demand of the state. The organization took initiative to motivate the farmers and organized three nos. of training programmes in modern pisciculture involving 95 farmers in Kakatpur block of Puri district. They were provided with follow up assistance for starting the pisciculture in their own pond or in the community pond taken on lease. To create our resources our organization has been promoting pisciculture in three ponds in Kakatpur block of Puri district and the financial gain is being used for the general purpose of the organization.

Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways, which means meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services. Sustainable farming practices are profitable and environment friendly in the long run. Hence our organization has been promoting the same among the farmers in Subarnapur district of Odisha. During the year 2 nos. of training programmes were organized to educate the farmers from Subarnapur district regarding sustainable agriculture including precision farming, Good Agricultural Practice, Integrated Pest Management, Integrated Nutrient Management etc with extensive use of mechanized tools and high yielding variety of seeds to optimize the production. They were also educated on various welfare schemes of the Govt. for the benefit of the farmers.

It is our duty to observe the national days of importance since it shows that we are loyal to our nation, follow, respect and promote the national ideals and principles. Also it helps in providing some learning opportunities to the youngsters, imbibes the sense of patriotism among them. Our organization realizing the fact, has been observing important national days like Independence Day, Republic day, Gandhi Jayanti, Children’s’ day, Teachers Day etc. in all of its offices with organization of various programmes on the occasion to spread the importance of the days among the community especially the school children. During the reporting year we also observed Constitution Day in our project “IRCA” in Subarnapur district involving school children and inmates of the project.

Generally, a Mobile Medicare Unit is equipped with a doctor, a nurse, and a helper, who were trained to recognise symptoms of health related ailments, conduct basic diagnosis of common diseases, prescribe medication and referrals to specialized clinics in case of further medical complications. These MHUs often conduct specialized health camps on various diseases and free health check-ups are conducted. The MHUs are here to serve the senior citizens have also become awareness generating sites, with the social worker empowering the disadvantaged elder with information on various diseases, along with educating them on the various preventive measures that can be taken to prevent the onset of any deadly disease. Each senior citizen receives medical follow up if they attend medical van access regularly and also receives their own medical chart which stays on file with the "Mobile Medicare Unit" Program helps elderly to maintain and improve their health and well-being. Our organization has been managing this programme in Tarava block of Subarnapur district. During the year 315 nos. of patients were treated with help of one doctor, one Health Worker, and adequate medicines with provision of pathological tests. One vehicle with all facilities & medical staffs, medicines etc, provided services to the elderly people in need in inaccessible pockets of Subarnapur district of Odisha.

Poverty, backwardness, absence of proper infrastructure, blind belief, negative attitude of the parents etc. have all contributed to the low level of literacy among the girls belonging to the scheduled caste. As Government is trying to reduce the gap in education among the different communities, genders etc. hence various initiatives are being adopted from time to time. In order to improve the literacy rate among the girls belonging to ST community in low literacy pockets, Govt. of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been managing the scheme called : “Strengthening Education in Low Literacy Pockets”. Our organization has been managing such a school called as Educational Complex at Bolangir district of Odisha since last five years from its own resources. This institution provides education based on school curriculum with a holistic approach for all-round capacity building of the girls in every respect like sports, culture, social work, physical well being, life skill etc, to make them capable enough to compete with others in the society and live a respectful living. In addition to this, the students are provided various vocational training to make them employment-ready whenever they complete their academic career.

Considering the employability and market demand our organization has been promoting skill training in Soft Toys making. The targeted beneficiaries are unemployed youths especially semi educated women belonging to BPL families. The said activity is being managed in backward district like Subarnapur of Odisha with a view to provide them sustainable source of livelihood. During the current year 100 nos. of such youths were identified and provided with skill training in Soft Toys making along with marketing skill at the training center of our organization located at Tarabha under Subarnapur district of Odisha. Then most of the trained youths have started their own production units with our back up services like arranging micro finance, assisting in marketing of finished products for establishing their IGP. Also some of the Ujjawala Home beneficiaries were also trained under this programme for their economic rehabilitation.

It is being observed that due to the lack of technological interventions, value addition initiatives most of our agricultural produce is either sold at throw away process or wasted. Ultimately the farmers suffer despite their hard work and effort. In order to strengthen the backbone of our farmers we should take proactive steps like making arrangements for value addition of the produces and creating markets for the same so that the farmers will get better return and socioeconomic status of the farmers will increase. NRDC has been helping the farmers in arranging skill training in food processing skill and during the year on report 90 farmers hailing from Subarnapur district including some Swadhar Greh & Ujjawala Home beneficiaries were trained in food processing & preservation technique which included processing of grams, preservation technique of food grains, fruits, vegetable, preparation of different types of cakes, pickles, spices, sauces, Body pampad etc. Such an initiative has not only helped in proper utilization of the surplus produce but also helped in strengthening the economic status of the farmers.

Self-Help Group or in-short SHGs is now a well-known concept. It is now almost two-decade old. It is reported that the SHGs have a role in hastening country’s economic development. SHGs have now evolved as movement. It lays emphasis on activity clusters based on the resources and the occupational skills of the people and availability of markets. Self-Help Group refers to self-governed, peer controlled, informal group of people with same socio-economic background and having a desire to collectively perform for common purposes. Here poor people voluntarily come together to save whatever amount they can save conveniently out of their earnings, to mutually agree to contribute to a common fund and to lend to the members for meeting their productive and emergent needs. It has been observed that through SHG movement the poor women with no resources have been able to improve their socio-economic status through micro credit induced MED. SHGs have been quite successful in our country especially rural areas. NRDC has been promoting SHGs and subsequent promotion of MED among the members for their economic empowerment. We are organizing various Capacity building programmes for the SHGs in Puri and Subarnapur districts of Odisha since long. Such aprogrmme has proved that ladies folk of the society can lend in a big way by supplementing the income source of the family by the initiative. NRDC has so far formed 190nos. of SHGs in Kakatpur & Tarabha blocks of Puri & Subarnapur district respectively. These SHGs are now involved in various economic activities with our assistance and helping in increasing their family income and also strengthening rural economy.