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Bhubaneswar:30/6/22: Odisha’s MUKTA scheme has been selected as one of the top five finalists for the 2021-22 WRI Ross Centre Prize for Cities on Wednesday at the 11th World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland.
The Prize recognizes MUKTA’s swift action to create mass employment and infrastructure during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a proud moment for the Housing & Urban Development Department as yet another flagship program of the State is acknowledged as a model that serves as a lighthouse for the global urban community to strive for excellence in Cities worldwide. MUKTA has been selected from 260 submissions from 155 Cities across 65 Countries.
WRI Award for Cities is the premier global award constituted for celebrating and spotlighting transformative urban change. The Prize for Cities seeks to inspire urban change-makers across the globe by elevating trailblazing initiatives and telling impactful stories of sustainable urban transformation.
The finalists were chosen through a rigorous selection process. Criteria of selection included the extent to which submissions demonstrated big, innovative ideas and novel approaches; life-changing impact on people’s lives, mindsets and behaviors; and ripple effects across and beyond the city. Finalists are chosen by a large evaluation team and the $250,000-grand prize winner will be selected by an independent jury of leaders in urban affairs. The four runners-up each would receive $25,000. The grand prize winner will be announced in November 2022.
MUKTA– the State-funded flagship scheme of Government coming under 5T Initiative with its community-driven, participatory, and bottom-up approach has emerged as a highly impactful urban livelihood intervention across urban pockets of Odisha. The scheme is first of its kind in India and focuses on ensuring livelihood opportunities to the vulnerable urban workforce and migrant labourers residing in urban area of the State.
