1. Prevention of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism:
The Counselling Centre for Drug Addicts and Alcoholics which was sanctioned in the later half of the financial year 1991-92 by the Ministry of Welfare, Govt. of India continued to operate till October 1992 when it was upgraded into a full-fledged De-addiction Centre. The provision of in-house treatment of the drug abusers and alcoholics was introduced along with appointment of the necessary professional and non-professional staff for proper management of the Center. Beside the treatment of the drug addicts and alcoholics, the center has organized quite a large number of outreach programmes in the form of Health Education Camps for slum dwellers and villagers, and seminars and Workshops on Youth Against Addiction in different parts of Cuttack District and also in Bhubaneswar.
2. Efforts during and in the aftermath of Liquor Tragedy of May 1992 in Cuttack
Mike propaganda throughout Cuttack Town started immediately when the news of mass deaths caused by poisoned liquor reached our center. Thereby we could prevent many addicts from taking the poisoned liquor. Our Centre also helped the transport of affected persons to the S.C.B. Medical College and Hospital for immediate treatment.
Survey of the households of persons dead and affected in Liquor Tragedy and forwarding of their cases for compensation, and widow/handicapped/destitute monthly pension to the State Govt.
Emergency Relief Camps for distribution of food and garments among the affected households were held in collaboration with Orissa Red Cross Society.
Eye camps and Health Camps were organized in collaboration with Mid-Town Rotary Club, Cuttack for the treatment of person's handicapped/affected in the Liquor Tragedy.
Statelevel Seminar was held on 21 June 1992 to discuss the measures so as to prevent the occurrence of such tragedy in future and also to rehabilitate the households affected in the Liquor Tragedy.
A quick Opinion Poll was organized among the people of Cuttack City in order to assess the public Views on the causes, magnitude and remedies of the Liquor Tragedy of May 1993.
Nishamukti Abhijan, a public forum consisting of eminent citizens from various walks of life-freedom fighters, people's representatives, social workers, lawyers, journalists etc. was formed in the immediate wake of the Liquor Tragedy Project Swrajya played an active role in its formation and multifarious activities among the people of the city. The forum is still working for the cause of declaring Cuttack a dry city.
3.Communal Harmony
Cuttack was one of the worst hit places in Orissa during communal violence that erupted in Dec 92 following the tragic incident of demolition of Babri Masjid. Project Swarjya made various peace efforts during the riot involving the local people and organized emergency relief camps in collaboration with Orissa Red Cross Society and Sarvodaya Relief Committee for distribution of food and clothing materials among the affected people. A household survey was undertaken in order to assess damages caused by the riot and a quick opinion poll to find out the particular causes of the riot in Cuttack Town and the remedies measures for the future.
4.Liberation of Scavengers in Cuttack Town:
The Project has commenced in December '91 with vocational training in tailoring for 15 girls and lessons in music for 15 children belonging to the scavenging community of Thoria Sahi Mehentar Colony which were completed in Dec '92. In the later half of the year 1992 about 50 households were assisted with working capital for taking up small, small income generation activities like bamboo works, leather works, plastic wiring, wool works, and cane works. Adult literacy and anti-liquor awareness programmes were also undertaken during the year among the scavenger population in the city. A survey of the dry latrine in different areas of Cuttack city was started during the year and is still going on.
5.Integrated Slum Development in Cuttack Town:
The Project has started from Dec '92. Its main component have so for been the health education and anti-drug camps among the slum dwellers, small working capital assistance to the enterprising slum dwelling women, supply of sewing machines to the trained but needy tailors, and adult literacy. A survey has also been conducted to assess the potential of the slum dwellers in selected slums dwellers in selected slums of the city for income generation programmes. It is an ongoing project and aims to cover many innovative programmes in due course.
6.Welfare of Street Children in Cuttack:
Following a random survey of the street children in Cuttack Town, a composite programme was started from Dec' 91 for their well being in collaboration with the Ministry of Welfare, Govt. of India. A vocational training unit in tailoring for 25 girls and boys belonging to Panna Sahi in Ganesh Ghat area functioned for 10 months ending in Sept' 92. Periodical health check up, functional literacy and nutrition were also organized for these street children in Bhasakose Lane along with the vocational training. Beside this, a State level Seminar on adoption and rehabilitation of orphaned, abandoned and destitute children was held in April '92 in Project Swarajya premises under joint collaboration of Basundhara, Sanjivani, and Project Swarajya.
7.Awareness Generation against water pollution in Taladanda Canal and Mahanadi and Kathajori Rivers
The Project has started since Dec'92 with the primary objective of facilitating the implementation of the Orissa High Court's directive delivered in April 1992 to the concerned Govt. agencies and local body for taking necessary preventive measures vis--vis the water pollution in the above said open streams. A socio-economic household survey of the people living along the banks of Talanda Canal in the urban areas of Cuttack has been completed. A number of Health Education Camps for such people who are suffering from water borne diseases have already been organized along the banks of Taladanda Canal. Interactions with the people living on the canal banks at Tarpur in Raghunathpur Block and in Paradip Port area have been organized along-with the interviews with eminent citizens of Cuttack city on the issue of water pollution in Taladanda Canal. A survey of the households living on both sides of Storm Water Drain in the middle of city and of the various ways in which the Storm Water Drain was polluted has already been conducted. The Project is an ongoing one and shall cover a variety of programmes spreading from Cuttack city up to Paradip.
8.Study Group on Orissa's Coastal Environment:
The Study Group consists of experts from various Govt. and non-Govt. bodies concerned with coastal ecology of Orissa. It's main trust is to investigate into various reasons of eco-degradation, especially of depletion of mangrove eco-system in Coastal Orissa in recent decades and find out the remedies thereto. Beside the expert level meetings from time to time, the dissemination activities in the form of seminars/workshops have been held in different places along the Orissa coast such as Chandbali, Bhitarkanika, Mahakalpada, Paradip and Chandipur. An Oriya book on Mangroves of Orissa has been published by Project Swaraya incorporating the results of its yearlong investigations. The project is an ongoing one and aims at taking up various innovative programmes towards the regeneration of ecosystem of coastal Orissa.
9.Capacity Raising of Rural Women:
The Project which commenced in May '92 in Tarpur of Raghunathpur Block in Cuttack District has various component such as renovation of the Tarpur Weaving Centre and Health Education Awareness Camps for rural women. About 20 destitutes women are being trained in the Tarpur Weaving Centre. While severe diarrhoea broke out in Dec '92 in Tarpur and surrounding villages, health camps were held for the suffering people. Lessons in hygiene and sanitation were imparted to the people in course of such camps, especially with regard to the need for use of safe water, and the need for safety latrines. The project is an ongoing one.
10.Conservation, Management and Sustainable Utilisation of Indian Horse Shoe Crabs along Orissa Coast:
Horse Shoe Crab is an ancient marine animal available in selected sea coasts of the world including the Bay of Bengal Coast in Orissa. Its blue blood is used for production of lysate, a chemical reagent that detects the gram negative bacteria in human being or any consumer product exceptionally quickly and accurately. Due to various reasons, the horseshoe crab population is threatened in Orissa Coast. Project Swarajya has undertaken a long-term campaign for the conservation, management and sustainable utilization of this immensely valuable, unique marine resource of the country. A national workshop was held in Cuttack and Chandipur on 10th and 11th Nov. 92 in collaboration with National Institute of Oceanography, Goa attended by eminent marine Scientists from different parts of the country, concerned Govt. officials and NGOs of coastal Orissa. The project is an ongoing one.
11.Consumer Protection Movement
Project Swarajya believes, the grievances of the consumers should be amicably settled with the concerned parties failing which the legal redressal may be sought. With this objective in view, the organization has taken up particular cases of consumer grievances and secured relief from the opposite parties by prevailing upon them through persuasion. Moreover, the organization has organized different camps for awareness generation on consumer legislation.
The organization is short listed by the food and Civil Supplies Department, Govt. of Orissa as a consumer voluntary organization. It is a member of FOCO (Federation of Consumer Organisations). Moreover it is also a Founder Member of Confederation of Indian Consumer Organisations (CICO). The organization has taken active part in the following forums:-
Statelevel Seminar on Consumers Awareness and Protection held on 31st March '92 at Suchana Bhawan, Bhubaneswar, by Orissa State Civil Supply Corporation Ltd.
Seminar on role of Voluntary Organisations in Consumer Movement held on 29th December '91 at Bhubaneswar by FOCO.
Meeting of Consumer Organisations at Bhubaneswar on 11th August '91.
12.Road Safety Programme.
Since the organization is based in Cuttack which is a millennium old city of Orissa having unplanned traffic system, the road safety programme is given due priority by us since inception. Every year the Road Safety week is observed by us during 4-10 June. And all our environmental awareness programmes contain discussions on the road safety measure. The Legal Literacy Camps for women also interalia deal with the legislations and rules & regulations on road safety. In view of the peculiar problem of traffic congestion at Cuttack, the organization has planned to undertake series of measure for promoting road safety in this millennium old city in near future.