The Odisha government has expanded cyclone relief assistance for eligible families across all blocks of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal, with each beneficiary household set to receive 50 kilograms of rice and Rs 2,500 in financial support. The decision is intended to strengthen food security and provide immediate financial assistance after Cyclone Arnab.
Under the expanded package, eligible families in every block of the three districts will receive the combined relief. The move is expected to bring a larger number of affected households within the scope of the state’s post-cyclone assistance programme.
The government has instructed the collectors of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal to immediately begin preparing and verifying lists of eligible beneficiary families across all blocks. The identification and verification process will determine which households receive the relief.
For the rice distribution, district administrations have been directed to coordinate directly with the respective district Civil Supplies Officers and the Odisha State Civil Supplies Corporation, or OSCSC. The coordination is intended to ensure that sufficient rice is stocked and that distribution is not disrupted.
The Rs 2,500 financial assistance will be transferred on a priority basis through Direct Benefit Transfer, or DBT, into the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries. The government has also directed authorities to use alternative arrangements in areas where banking services have been disrupted. Records of the distribution process are to be maintained accurately.
The relief programme places responsibility for implementation on the district administrations, including beneficiary verification, foodgrain availability, cash transfers and documentation. This makes the delivery process dependent on coordination between collectors, civil supplies officials, OSCSC and the state emergency management system.
To monitor implementation, collectors have been instructed to send detailed block-wise reports on the distribution of rice and financial assistance to the State Emergency Operations Centre, or SEOC, by 5 pm every day. The reports are intended to support oversight of the relief operation and track progress across the three districts.
The announcement expands assistance beyond a limited set of locations by covering eligible families in all blocks of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal. The immediate official milestones are the preparation and verification of beneficiary lists, the stocking and distribution of rice, the transfer of financial assistance and the submission of daily reports to the SEOC.
