Odisha

Overview

Delayed payments to CBOs and wage seekers were a key scheme implementation challenge. Beneficiaries faced lengthy wait times, with a baseline study across two pilot urban local bodies (ULBs) finding that over 50% of completed tasks were not processed for payment, and the rest encountered delays exceeding one month. Wage seekers come from low-income households, and such delays undermine the scheme’s welfare objectives.

Such delays arise largely from cumbersome, paper-based compliances, billing, and verification processes. Every step – from attendance tracking and bill submission to verification, approvals, and payment instructions – relied on manual processes. This increases the administrative burden on local government personnel, who are often already overburdened. These long-drawn processes also resulted in underutilisation of sanctioned funding, with funds parked idle in banks and limited transparency.

Reference Applications

MUKTASoft

• Objective: Launched in April 2020 by HUDD Odisha

  • The scheme aims to generate sustainable livelihoods for the urban poor, while creating and maintaining climate-resilient community assets, nurturing inclusive and equitable urban development.

• Community-Centric Implementation: Bottom-up scheme design ensures community participation in identifying and prioritising public works.

  • MUKTA empowers Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) as project contractors, driving recruitment and execution and fostering community-rooted initiatives.

• Beneficiaries: Wage seekers, transgenders and women from Self-Help Groups are key recipients of the scheme’s benefits.