Nabarangpur: A district-level workshop on “Mainstreaming Gender Inclusion for Disaster Risk Reduction” was held at the Mission Shakti Conference Hall in Nabarangpur. The event was jointly organized by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), Bhubaneswar, and the District Disaster Management Authority, Nabarangpur.
The Chief Guest of the workshop was Dr. Shubhankar Mahapatra, District Collector of Nabarangpur, while Tapan Kumar Khuntia attended as a Guest of Honor. The General Manager of OSDMA, Bhubaneswar, Tapas Kumar Sethy, led the workshop proceedings. At the beginning, Deputy Collector for Emergency Affairs, Smt. Geetanjali Behera, delivered the welcome speech and introduced the objectives of the workshop.
Focus on Gender-Sensitive Disaster Management
During his address, Tapas Kumar Sethy emphasized that mainstreaming gender inclusion is a new and essential approach in disaster risk reduction. The key objective of this initiative is to analyze how disasters impact different vulnerable groups, such as women, pregnant women, transgender individuals, elderly people, children of various age groups, students, and individuals with chronic illnesses.
To achieve this, a village-level data framework is being developed, which will record the number of women, pregnant women, transgender persons, elderly individuals, school-going children, and people with pre-existing health conditions. This data will serve as the foundation for future disaster management planning and response strategies, ensuring a more inclusive and effective disaster preparedness system.
Expert Insights & Group Discussions
Experts from Bhubaneswar, including gender specialist Aranyak Mishra and project coordinator Subodh Nayak, conducted in-depth discussions using PowerPoint presentations. They emphasized the need for gender-sensitive disaster response measures and their integration into district-level emergency planning.
Participation of Key Officials
The workshop was attended by several key officials, including:
Himanshu Shekhar Pattnaik – District Emergency Project Officer
Suresh Pattnaik – District Child Protection Officer
Draupadi Kahanr – District Social Welfare Officer
Sudhanshu Shekhar Patra – District Social Security Officer
Manoj Kumar Behera – District Information and Public Relations Officer
Malay Tripathi – Additional Health Officer
Subash Chandra Khuntia – Additional Forest Protection Officer
Chainu Gandh and Samir Kumar Patra – Deputy Collectors
Tripati Balaji Sahu and Fakir Charan Raut – Emergency Sub-Divisional Officers
Bharat Chandra Sahu – Additional District Welfare Officer
Representatives from NGOs, including Prabhanjan Mishra and Subrat Mishra
Debi Prasad Das – District Fire Officer
Dr. Prashant Kumar Samal – Additional Animal Husbandry Officer
Officials from Health, Education, and Women & Child Development Departments
Efficient Execution & Coordination
The workshop was efficiently conducted with the support of officials from the District Emergency Office, including Neelkanth Raju, Gagan Bishoyi, Mobina Sultan, Abhinash Patra, and Ramakrishna Pujari.
This workshop highlighted the importance of gender-sensitive planning in disaster management, ensuring that vulnerable groups receive adequate attention and resources during emergencies. The initiative is expected to strengthen the disaster resilience framework in the district.
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