A 100 million dollar loan from the World Bank was authorized by the board of executive directors to strengthen Odisha’s early warning systems for better disaster response.
The World Bank claims that the loan will also expand Odisha’s digital social security coverage for low-income and vulnerable households. Cyclones almost always strike the coastal state of Odisha, making it susceptible to natural disasters. The 480 km of the state’s coastline is also in danger from tsunamis.
According to a statement from the World Bank, the loan will strengthen the state’s data-gathering efforts for better resilience planning and assist in reducing losses brought on by natural disasters through a multi-hazard digital warning system.
According to Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank’s Country Director for India, “The Program will help the Government of Odisha scale up existing social protection systems to better protect vulnerable households from climate shocks.”
The 12.5-year loan from the World Bank to Odisha includes a three-year grace clause.
Better delivery and data methods may result in greater resilience. The project’s task team leaders, Shrayana Bhattacharya, Ambrish Shahi, and Samik Sundar Das stated that the program can assist the state in addressing risks and gender gaps in social protection programs and enable future planning.