ODISHA

Prime Minster Narendra Modi announces 500 crore aid for Odisha

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Prime MinsterNarendra Modi announced Rs 500 crore cyclone relief forOdishaand appreciated the states disaster preparedness resulting in minimal loss of life.Modialso announced Rs 500 crore forWest Bengaland Jharkhand.

While Rs 500 crore would be immediately given to Odisha, another Rs 500 crore announced for West Bengal and Jharkhand will be released on the basis of damage report submitted by the two states.

The Prime Minister also announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia for the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured due to Cyclone Yaas. Modi was told that Odisha suffered maximum damage due to Yaas though the actual estimate would take around a week.

Agri trade: MNI to be implemented in state

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The ministry of Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture and farmers welfare has decided to implement the market yard of national importance (MNI) concept in six states, including Odisha, to promote inter-mandi and inter-state trade of agricultural produce in a seamless manner.

The decision was taken at the first meeting of the expert committee on MNI in Bengaluru. Besides Odisha, the other states where MNI will be implemented are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan,Telanganaand Bihar. The experts committee has also been asked to come up with a detail framework for the MNI to be implemented in these states. Sources said that the recommendations will be based on locations and seasons of particular market yards.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik orders door-to-door survey to trace Covid patients

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Chief ministerNaveenPatnaik announced a three-month door-to-door survey by ASHAs and anganwadi workers from May 24 to trace people suspected of having Covid in the wake of the rising infections in villages. He has also announced the formation of a task force for Oxygen management, the mainstay of medical care in the ongoing pandemic.

The CM said the government will pay extra incentives of Rs 1,000 per month to ASHAs for the three-month drive and Rs 10,000 one-time aid to buy bicycles, cupboards, slippers, umbrellas and torches since they will also have to monitor those recuperating in Home isolation. The move comes amid a government analysis that 57% infections in the state this month were from villages.

In a first, Orissa high court opens virtual branches in 10 districts

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Amidst demands from lawyers across the country for setting up benches in different parts of all the states, theOrissaHC has taken the pioneering step of opening virtual HCs in 10 districts and plans to provide this facility in the remaining 20 districts by the middle of this year.

The demands for high court benches at places other than its principal seat from bar associations in different states and resultant strikes had often paralysed judicial work. Recently, ugly incidents were seen at Sambalpur in western Odisha, leading to The Supreme Court directing strict action against erring advocates.

The approximate figures of filing of cases from the remaining nine districts are: Sambalpur (4,000), Ganjam (10,500), Bhadrak (5,300), Kalahandi (3,400), Bolangir (3,800), Koraput (3,200), Puri (8,200) and Rourkela at Sundargarh (3,278).

Odisha: Coal-based projects to boost state

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Odisha, which has the second largest coal reserves after Jharkhand, has reasons to cheer the Budget announcement by finance ministerNirmala Sitharamanof four pilot projects for coal gasification and conversion of coal into chemicals for the , feel industry insiders.

A director ofWestern Coalfields Limitedand vice-president of Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limited, said Jharkhand, which has the countrys highest coal reserves (27%) followed by Odisha (24%) andChhattisgarh(17%), would have the highest opportunities for coal-based projects. Coal gasification if successfully implemented will immensely help these states, he said.

Dharmendra urges govt to repeal Odisha Universities Act

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Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged the to repeal theOdishaUniversities (amendment) Act, 2020 to ensure academic autonomy of state public universities.

“The state government has come up with a law to bring all state public universities under one Act. It was created this keeping the administrative needs of the universities in mind. As an alumnus of Utkal University, I request the government to reconsider the proposal of the academics on the Act for academic autonomy, multidisciplinary, employability and other benefits,” said Pradhan while attending the 79th foundation day of Utkal University.

Pradhan said putting the universities in order does not mean the Act will end up creating an obstacle on the path of autonomy of the universities. “A university cannot be a college where a teacher can be transferred from one institution to another. Besides meeting with the governor, I had also written a letter to the then education minister about this issue last year,” Pradhan said.

The government had amended the Odisha Universities Act, 1989, in September last year and brought all state public universities under one Act. Academics and retired professors had criticised the government for amending the Act which they said curtails the autonomy of the universities.

With completion of four years of the BJDs fifth term in office, the State Government approved 18 proposals including a Mo Ghara scheme.

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The decision was taken at a State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Under the Mo Ghara scheme in the & Drinking Water Department, the Government will provide financial assistance to meet aspiration of the lower and lower middle-class households in rural areas.

The scheme will cover all such families which were left out in the existing housing schemes due to stringent eligibility criteria or due to insufficient allocation and also those families which had received housing assistance of smaller amount in the past and now want to upgrade or expand their houses.

Under the scheme, a beneficiary can avail a loan up to Rs 3 lakh, which can be repaid in 10 years excluding a 1-year moratorium period in easy installments. They can opt for one of the four slabs of the loan amount — Rs 1 lakh, Rs 1.5 lakh, Rs 2 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.

The Government may bear the expenses of Rs 2,150 crore for approximate 4 lakh beneficiaries (1 lakh from each loan slab) over a period of two years for the scheme.

Odishas 2023-24 budget to be 10 percent larger than last year

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The started preparations for the 2023-24 budget with Finance minister Niranjan Pujari presiding over a consultation meeting. As the state economy is on a path of recovery after the Covid pandemic, the size of the budget is likely to be 10 per cent more than the previous year. The government had presented a budget of `2 lakh crore for 2022-23. The budget is likely to be the last before the 2024 Elections and a major portion of the funds will be allocated for a large number of welfare measures announced by the state government.

Official sources maintained with the state maintaining a robust Growth rate of over 6.5 per cent and tax collection remaining satisfactory, the size of the budget will be definitely more than the previous year. The state government has already started the official preparation of a budget and a decision will be taken in this regard.

As the state budget will be placed after the central budget, things will be much clear on it in the first week of February. The state government will no longer have to anticipate the size of the central share and other assistance, he said, adding it will be much easier to prepare the budget.

Govt had presented budget of `2lakh crore in 2022-23
The 2023-24 budget will be the last before next elections
Former finance ministers Stress income from tourism
Major portion of funds to be allocated for govts welfare schemes

At 90.5 per cent, Odisha best in country in kid vaccination

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The Percentage of fully immunised children is the highest (90.5 per cent) inOdisha, according to phase-II of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

A fully immunised child is one who has taken all scheduled Vaccines supplied by the government. A child in Odisha takes as many as 12 vaccines from government facilities. Mostly local health and anganwadi workers coordinate the vaccine camps at the village level with the help of health department officials.

The national figure for fully immunised children aged 12-23 months has improved from 62 per cent to 76 per cent in the past five years. Odisha’s rate was 78.6 per cent in 2015-16 (NFHS-4). Odisha is followed by Himachal Pradesh (89.3 per cent), Nadu(89.2 per cent),West Bengal(87.8 per cent),Karnataka(84.1 per cent) and Goa (81.9 per cent).

According to the survey, 98.1 per cent children aged between 12 and 23 months have received most of their vaccinations in a public health facility in Odisha. While 99.1 per cent children were from rural areas, 91.8 per cent were from urban localities. However, only a miniscule 1.4 per cent children (most of them from urban areas) in Odisha received their vaccines from private facilities. As many as 97.3 per cent children aged 12-23 months have received the BCG vaccine. Similarly, 94.4 per cent children have received three doses of penta or hepatitis B vaccine.

Odisha is a pocket-friendly tourist destination

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Odisha is a pocket-friendly tourist destination having quality and a diversified product portfolio comprising forests, sea, wildlife, tribal groups and hills.

Comparing Odisha with other States, he said people who visit Rajasthan only see palaces and desert; but in Odisha, they get chance to stay in lavish royal palaces and can visit forests and see wildlife animals. People whjo are going to Agra only see Taj Mahal; but in Odisha, they can see the iconic Konark Temple and many other beautiful temples across the State.

The three-day Odisha Travel Bazaar 2022 is organised by the Department of Tourism and the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.