Bhubaneswar: Socially Smart Project, which is a unique attempt on the part of BMC, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) and United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) to strengthen social components of Smart City, has now been expanded to cover another 76 slums which are beyond the boundary of Bhubaneswar Town Centre District (BTCD) area.
The project which was initiated in the year 2017 and was restricted to 24 slums within the areas of BTCD, has entered its third year and now these new slums have been brought out to be included into its purview of activities making it 100 slums to be covered under this innovative programme.
The BSCL project focuses on young boys and girls of the slums and how to make them Socially Smart. The project is being implemented at community-level through partner NGO, Humara Bachpan Trust.
The new activities in the 76 slums would start with community mapping process to be held in 16 large slums and line listing of youths in all the slums. The line listing process will help to identify the actual number of youths in the age group of 10-25 years, their family background, qualification and current social status.
It will also make an attempt to identify their training needs and aspirations, which would be in the coming days used for linking them with appropriate training opportunities. It is worth mentioning hear that in the last two years approx.
It would be pertinent to mention here that 162 youths of 24 slums (within BTCD) have already been linked with various skill training programs and of them 18 have already started their own enterprise or have got employment with employers.
Eighty young boys and girls of the new 76 slums would be provided 9-days of training as per the module of UNFPA which will be followed by youths taking leadership at slum level to form groups and discuss issues of importance with other young children of the slums.
In the last two year 332 girls from 24 slums have received 10 days of self-defence training program at Utkal Karate School successfully. In the current year there is a plan to train 500 girls in self defence training.
Youth Connect Program, which is the initiative being held at the level of educational institutes will continue to create awareness amongst students on various aspects of gender-based violence and discrimination. In the last two year the approx 200 programmes covering 25,000 youths were held across educational institutes of Bhubaneswar on themes like promoting healthy lifestyle amongst youth and awareness on gender based violence, safe city safe campus etc.
The Socially Smart Project had received ‘’Smart City Award’’ for its social intervention and community mobilisation initiative at Smart City XEPO- JAIPUR, during September, last year.
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