1. Debashis Patra
PGP 2008-10
Indus World School of Business
RURAL PROJECT
PRESENTATION

2. Introduction
Name - Balasore Ashraya Yojana
Concerned NGO - Seeds India
Orissa Flood Resilient Shelter Program
Supported by ECHO and Christian Aid
Undertaken during late Decemeber 2008 and
January 2009
Areas covered- four gram panchayats of Basta
block, Balasore district of Orissa

6. Features
 Building 400 flood resilient shelters(not to be confused
with houses) for persons whose houses were completely
washed away in the devastating floods wreaked by
Subarnarekha river in Balasore in 2008.
 It involved identification of potential beneficiaries, doing
a three round verification before ascertaining their status
as final beneficiaries , and starting construction of the
shelter for them, and handing it over to them after
completion.
 Active support from the district and the local
government(gram panchayat) for its day to day
functioning.

7. Devastation wreaked by floods

8. Flood Resilient Shelters – Before and After

9. Processes Involved
Baseline Study
Stakeholder Analysis
Collection of Affected Population List from
State Govt Authorities
Permission from local government (gram
panchayat)
Formation of Core Team for project
implementation
Identification of Beneficiaries
Verification of Technology and Construction
material

10. Processes contd…
 Purchase of equipment
 Concrete Pre- Cast piles, Beams, Bands, Bamboo Sticks, MCR
paving blocks
 Verification of beneficiary land deed(“patta”) , Voter ID, BPL
Card(optional)
 Operationalization of Material Yard , Storage of components,
Transportation and Delivery of Construction material
 Training – Both hands on and class room, Formation of fifty
mason teams, Construction Plan for each shelter,
Implementation Plan and Schedule.
 Commencing on field activities
 Exit preparation , Govt Approval and Transfer of Operations
 Evaluation, Financial Audits , Documentation
 Final Report.

11. Flood Resilient Shelter
Walls and Plinth built of Fly Ash bricks
Fly Ash procured from Birla Tyres
Use of Bamboo “Truss” ( support structure)
Pillars and Beams prefabricated
All construction materials built away from villages
Stored at Materials Yard
Transported and assembled to form final structure
Most imp feature- High plinth wall and strong fly ash
bricks
Avg time taken to construct a shelter after beneficiary
identification – 5 to 6 days

13. Operational Aspects
 Daily monitoring and evaluation of progress of the work
 Exchange of information between Head Office and
Branch Office
 Close co-ordination between all units, field officers, office,
material yard, masons as well the stakeholders
(beneficiaries) and villagers
 Obstacles encountered during the project in the form of
ineligible beneficiaries, beneficiary identification,
opposition from untoward elements etc were
successfully tackled by the project team quite efficiently

14. Major Issues Involved
Beneficiary Identification – A rigorous three step
process
Voter ID, BPL Card, Land Deed (“patta”)
Most important criteria for assessing the above –
socioeconomic conditions of potential beneficiaries
C0-ordination with “Sarpanchs” as well as district and
state administration
Solving conflicts that would arise in the course of
beneficiary identification
To ensure that the benefits accrue to those who were
affected the most

15. Critique
 Beneficiaries in some cases are located quite far away
 Adds to the problems of limited number of staff
 Villagers were treated as stakeholders
 Collaborative working
 Members of Project Team involved with beneficiaries at each
stage of the project
 Lack of adequate number of experienced professionals
 Interference from local politicians on the lookout for freebies
and bribes in extreme cases
 Most serious lacuna – two houses to share one toilet
 Against Indian Socio-Cultural values

16. My Learnings
A watershed experience in my life that made me
aware of the glaring disparities existing in our society
Sensitised me to problems faced by villagers on a day
to day basis
Conducted my own sample survey and arrived at
conclusions regarding the feasibility of the project
The poor and uneducated people are as intelligent
as we so called educated people are
Honesty , Integrity and Commitment can work
wonders and overcome short term problems

17. My Learnings contd…
A single glitch gone undetected can stop a project in
its tracks abruptly
Have learned first hand about Disaster Management
and Rural Management
Got to practically implement all that I had learned
during my two terms at IWSB
As a management student I would lay stress on
recruiting the most experienced persons in such
projects
Skills become redundant in such projects, all that
matters is the no of years you have worked in that
area