Reliance Foundation and INCOIS partner to empower coastal communities

Hyderabad [Telangana], May 31 (ANI): Reliance Foundation and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to empower the inhabitants of coastal areas.

Dr Srinivasa Kumar, Director of INCOIS, Jagannatha Kumar, CEO of Reliance Foundation, and others participated in the MOU signing event and discussed various aspects of collaboration.

The MoU was signed on May 27, 2024, at INCOIS, Hyderabad, in the presence of Dr. Srinivasa Kumar, Director of INCOIS and Jagannatha Kumar, CEO of Reliance Foundation.

After the collaboration both entities will work to leverage ocean data, enhancing climate resilience and disaster mitigation.

Reliance Foundation has been engaging with communities across the nation for over a decade. The aim of the foundation, after the partnership, is to reach nearly 25 per cent of India’s active marine fisherperson families, mainly across eight states.

For marine fisherpersons, Reliance Foundation translates complex scientific information into locally relevant advisories to provide life-saving information and identify fishing zones. Reliance Foundation supports women in linkage and availing of schemes to increase returns from fish production and other high-value fishing activities. Working with fishing communities on the ground, Reliance Foundation partners holistically with scientific institutions providing feedback on advisories to institutions to enhance information generation.

The opportunities include translating scientific data into actionable plans for community resilience that includes the opportunities for enhancing community resilience through translating scientific data into actionable plans including utilizing ocean data for predictive impact analysis to forecast issues like rising sea temperatures affecting fish catch, enabling alternative livelihood strategies.

It also involves creating science-driven policies and community measures for resilience, developing educational materials on ocean literacy and safety for coastal youth, and bridging the gap between research and practical applications for climate resilience.

Additionally, promoting sustainable practices in the blue economy by linking INCOIS's multi-hazard vulnerability maps with resilience activities, and implementing the "Tsunami Ready Villages" program to proactively safeguard coastal communities from tsunamis, are key strategies. (ANI)