Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: Odisha State Disaster Management Authority for the first time has been honored with the coveted SKOCH award, the highest independent honour in the country, for the year 2018 for its remarkable achievements in the field of disaster management in the mega event of 56^th SKOCH Summit at New Delhi recently.

SKOCH Group has been felicitating India’s highest independent civilian honours since 2003 to individuals and institutions having done meritorious works in the field of governance, finance, banking, disaster management, technology, corporate citizenship, economics and inclusive growth.

OSDMA received the prestigious SKOCH award in the Disaster Management category, in addition to “Order-of-Merit” Gold for building community resilience by constructing 879 Multi Purpose Cyclone and Flood Shelters across the coastline and flood prone areas of Odisha which played a key role in saving human lives during Cyclone Phailin in the year 2013.

OSDMA added more feathers to its achievement by receiving “Order-of-Merit” Silver for constructing disaster resilient houses to about 17,000 Phailin affected families by relocating them to 140 safer relocation sites equipped with all basic amenities & insuring their houses for ten years against multi-hazard in Ganjam and Khordha districts and “Order-of-Merit” Bronze for establishing a fail proof Early Warning Dissemination System for different hydro-meteorological disasters across the coastline of Odisha which will benefit 1205 villages in 22 blocks of 6 coastal districts. Arabinda Ray, System Expert & MIS Specialist, OSDMA received the prestigious awards on behalf of OSDMA in the event.

Earlier OSDMA has received ICHL award 2013 for “Excellence in Humanitarian Action”in the field of Disaster Management & also have received many certification for effective management of disasters in the last years.