District-Level Training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Care in Disasters Begins in Malkangiri
Training Focuses on Psychological Support for Disaster-Affected Communities
Manas Mallik,Odishabarta
Malkangiri, September 9, 2026:A three-day district-level training programme aimed at strengthening mental health and psychosocial care during disaster situations began in Malkangiri on Tuesday in the presence of District Magistrate Pratesh Arvind Rajeshirke.
The programme has been organised jointly in collaboration with the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
The training programme, being held at the conference hall of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Malkangiri, will continue from September 9 to 11.
The primary objective of the programme is to equip officials, frontline personnel and volunteers with the knowledge and skills required to provide psychological first aid, mental health support and psychosocial care to people affected by natural calamities and other emergencies.
Speaking at the inauguration, District Magistrate Pratesh Arvind Rajeshirke said disasters cause not only physical and economic losses but also place affected communities under severe mental and emotional stress.
In such circumstances, he said, providing timely psychological support and counselling to affected people is an important responsibility of the administration.
He further observed that the joint initiative of OSDMA and NIMHANS would help enhance the capacity and preparedness of personnel working at the grassroots level and enable them to respond more effectively to the psychological needs of disaster-affected people.
District Emergency Officer Dil Ranjan Sahu, OSDMA Deputy General Manager Debadyuti Nayak and NIMHANS State Project Coordinator Subodh Nayak attended the inaugural programme and spoke about the objectives and methodology of the training.
Officials and volunteers from various departments of the district are participating in the three-day training programme.
The initiative is expected to strengthen Malkangiri’s disaster-response mechanism by giving greater emphasis to the mental health and psychosocial well-being of affected communities, alongside conventional emergency relief and rescue measures.
