ODISHA

Government fixes ambulance rates in Odisha

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The on Monday fixed the rate for availing of different types of ambulance Services in the wake of reports of exorbitant tariff charged by many such vehicle operators during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government has warned of stringent action if the ambulance operators defy the order.

In a notification, the commerce and transport department has finalized the maximum hiring charges for patient transport ambulance (PTA), basic life-support (BLS) ambulance and advanced life-support (ALS) ambulance for the first 10km and beyond for different Classification of vehicles.

Centre promotes Puri as Liberation Destination

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The Union Ministry of Tourism, inter-alia, promotes tourist destinations of India, including the Saptha Moksha Puri (Seven Liberation destinations), viz., Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi Avantika (Ujjain), Puri (Odisha) and Dwaravati (Dwaraka, Gujarat), in a holistic manner.

The Ministry undertakes promotional campaigns in domestic and global markets through electronic, print and digital media to promote the various tourist destinations and products of the country. Further promotions are also undertaken through the official web-site as well as through Social Media handles of the Ministry.

Besides, the Ministry provides financial assistance under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme with an objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations in consultation with the respective State Governments.

The Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been revamped to SD 2.0 for development of sustainable and responsible tourist destinations and Dwarka has been selected for development under SD 2.0.

Odisha to set up water academy in capital

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Thestate governmenthas decided to set up a Centre of Excellence OdishaWater Academyin Bhubaneswar, which will function as a world-class training and capacity building institution in the field ofwaterand wastewater service provision.

Officials said the primary objective of the institution will be to enhance the quality and service levels in the water and wastewater management sector for customer satisfaction and for better Health and Environment outcomes.

The academy will be beneficial to the personnel working under the Water Corporation of Odisha, Public Health Engineering Organisation, sewerage board and other related organisations.

State plans to ride on GatiShakti for growth

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The industries department is set to prepare a master plan, based on priority areas, as the looks to gain from the Centres huge Investment proposal for Infrastructure development under the ambitious PMGatiShaktiinitiative.

Launched in 2021 by the Narendra Modi government, PM GatiShakti national master plan aims to bolster multi-modal connectivity through coordinated planning and execution of infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, Airports, Ports, mass transport, waterways and Logistics.

Though the commerce and transport department was initially assigned the task of preparing the master plan, the industries department has now been roped in for the purpose.
State industries secretaryHemant Sharmasaid the state government has already been preparing a logistics master plan with the help of Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES).

The industries department will soon appoint a state nodal officer for the project, who will coordinate with the nodal officers of other line departments to initiate the future course of action. The nodal officers will also attend a four-day (March 14 to 17) training programme at BISAG-N in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to deliberate on the plan.

Odishas 480-km long coastline offers long-term potential for cargo handling by leveraging the sea routes. At present, the state has three all-weather ports at Paradip,DhamraandGopalpurwhile three more ports are expected to be ready in a few years.

Odisha: Mining reforms push up states revenue by 300%

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The reforms in the mining sector, which earned chief ministerNaveen Patnaikthe Prime Ministers praise in theRajya Sabha, helped the state garner huge revenue even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The steel andmines departmentofficials saidOdishahas, so far, earned Rs 36,321 crore from mining, which is nearly four times the revenue collected during the same period last year, registering a Growth of more than 300%.

The mining and Metal sector was estimated to yield Rs 11,200 crore during 2019-20, while it was pegged at around Rs 13,800 crore in the 2020-21 financial year.

For the current fiscal (2021-22), the has set a target of collecting Rs 25,000 crore in revenue from the sector. The production of iron Ore this year is almost on a par with that of last year. At 114 million tonne, the iron ore production has gone up by 3MT from last year.

The adoption of online method to track the production and dispatch of mineral Resources is another reform undertaken by the state government in the sector.

Odisha: Rise in Upper age limit for Govt jobs

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The Odisha Government recently increased the upper age limit of candidates to enter into State Civil Services exams. The age was increased from 32 years to 38 years. This was done by amending the State Civil Services Rules, 1989.

The increase in age limit has been made for 2021, 2022 and 2023 exams only. Odisha government relaxed the age limit for people belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, Socially and Educationally backward classes, persons with disabilities and for Women.

The Labour Force Participation rate in Odisha is 48.3%. This mirrors national rate of 48.3%. The worker Population ratio is 44.9%. And the National worker population ratio is 46.8%. The Unemployment rate in the urban areas is higher than that of the EMPLOYMENT rate.

Demographic dividend

In Odisha, 56% are engaged in Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture. 18% in construction and 7.8% in other services. Around 30% are engaged in other services. Informal sector is the largest job provider in Odisha. With such conditions, it is essential to increase the employment window in the state. The extension of age limit will help achieve this.

Govt nod to check dams on bridges

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The has approved Rs 60 crore for a new scheme to construct check Dams-cum-weirs on bridges and culverts built over various rivers to store adequate water during monsoon.

The works and rural development departments will build around 100 such check dams-cum-weirs across the state primarily on small bridges resting on raft foundations.

While provision for the scheme has already been made in the recent supplementary budget for 2021-22, the works and rural development departments have been asked to prepare the guidelines for its implementation.

Both the departments have been asked to submit the proposed location and drawing of check dams-cum-weirs to the Resources“>Water Resources department for more technical consultation.

CAG slams state of higher education

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The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has slammed the state of higher Education in Odisha in its recent report tabled in the assembly.

The report said gross enrolment ratio (GER) of 22.1% in Odisha between 2014 and 2019 is below the national Average of 26.30%. It slammed the for not devising specific plan to improve the ratio.

Despite SC/ST Population comprising around 40% of the states total population, the report said the GER and gender parity index of SC/ST categories remained below the national average.
Even as the state government has established theOdisha State Higher Education Councilto promote higher education and research in the state through planning and reforms, the CAG said objective of the council remained largely unfulfilled as the body has not prepared any plan.

The CAG also pointed out poor functioning of career counselling cells inUtkal University(UU),North Odisha University(NOU) and 32 known degree colleges. It said there was less than optimal functioning or complete absence of placement and career counselling cells and job fairs in these institutions while amount released to organize the job fair remained unutilized.

On an average 26.10% students of UU and 3.79% students of NOU could get placements through placements cells/job fairs between 2014 and 2019. UU and NOU had facilitated placement of 1,089 and 70 students, respectively, through job fairs during the period, said the CAG in its report.

The Percentage of students who qualified in different competitive examinations in UU ranged between 2.23% and 27.10% from 2014-19, except in 2015-16, when it was 40.19%. In NOU, the percentage of students who qualified in competitive examinations ranged between 3.50 and 7.72% during this period.

CoE for mango, vegetables to come up in Jajpur district

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Theministry of agricultureand farmers welfare has decided to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for mango and vegetables atPanikoiliin Jajpur district to conduct extensive training and research on horticultural products.

An official statement issued by the ministry on Friday said the centre will be established under the Indo-Israel Action Plan, as envisioned under theMission for Integrated Development of (MIDH).
Under MIDH, suchCoEsare being established in various states through bilateral cooperation or research institutes. These CoEs serve as demonstration and training centres for latest technologies in the field of horticulture.

Set up panel for proper functioning of quasi-judicial forums, Orissa high court orders government

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The Orissa has directed the government to constitute a high-level committee in order to monitor the smooth functioning of quasi-judicial forums in the state. JusticeBiswanath Rathissued the direction on October 19 while adjudicating on a petition questioning the functioning of such forums.

Cases involving the OdishaLand Reforms(General) Amendment Rules, 2015, and theOrissa Survey and Settlement Act, 1959, among others, are settled through the quasi-judicial forums, which are mostly run by the state’s senior administrative officers and theIASofficers.

The court ordered that the high-level committee should comprise a member board of revenue, additional chief secretary of the revenue and Disaster Management department, one of the members from the 5T, along with the secretary of law department, to monitor the situation at least by sitting once a month and advice accordingly.