Speaking on the occasion, Pandian said that the Chief Minister will launch a portal for online registration for Nua-O Magic Smart Cards for eligible students in the state on March 5 to provide several facilities, 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman V K Pandian announced on Monday.

After the CM launches the Magic Smart Card scheme on March 5, eligible students of Plus III and PG classes will be able to get themselves registered in order to get a host of facilities, he said.

The Magic Smart Cards would be distributed to all eligible students on August 15 after scrutiny, verification and completion of all formalities, Pandian said.

Pandian attended the Nua-O Scholarship distribution programme in these three districts where he interacted with the students from 57 colleges of Sambalpur, Angul and Deogarh. Under the scheme all eligible PG and UG students from state government universities, Govt Colleges, non-Govt aided and unaided Colleges will be benefitted.

The scholarship amount for general and OBC male and female students is Rs. 9,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively whereas for SC/ST and Nirman Shramik male and female students it is 10,000 and Rs 11,000 respectively.

Pandian informed that 13,423 students from 21 colleges of Sambalpur district; 11,265 students from 25 colleges of Angul district and 3,424 students from 11 colleges of Deogarh district will get their scholarship amount in their bank accounts today. With this, Rs. 28.00 Crores sanctioned for 28,112 nos. of students from these three districts. He distributed Nua-O Scholarship Sanction Orders to the students.

He said that the decade of 2024-34 will be the era of the youth, who will be empowered by the state government to achieve the goal of Nua Odisha.

Pandian said that the government’s next major initiative will be to cover all the students through the launching of the futuristic Nabin Odisha Magic Card, a points- system based smart card which will engage and empower the youth and enable them towards academic development, personality development, skill development and employment. It will create a platform for the youth to aspire and achieve their dreams. It will be encouraging and empowering the youth by providing physical and digital access to resources which will help them in their career growth and personality development.

This card will be a “Passport to Prosperity”. Based on points earned through various activities and parameters the cards will be upgraded to *Silver, Gold and Platinum level. The Cards will be allotted and upgraded based on the performance of student in terms of attendance, discipline, academic performance, participation in extracurricular activities, sports, online courses, personality development courses etc.

Every involvement of the student will be measured, honoured and valued. Their academic achievements, creativity, sports achievements, social/community work, etc. will be recognised and appreciated through this points-system.

These cards can provide access to various facilities like – Bus/Train/Flights concession; access to Phone/ Data recharge and Wi-Fi ; e-libraries; Online Academic courses ; Personality development courses and workshops ; Coaching Centres and Tuition classes; Skill Development courses ; Career counselling; Language courses including Odia and English; “Earn While You Learn” opportunities; Volunteering opportunities; Access to stadiums during the national and international tournaments; Access to Journals and Seminars; Access to tourist places, Museums, etc.

This card will also provide Job and Placement opportunities through sharing of this data with the potential recruiting companies-A LinkedIn type platform for the students to interact with the industry and will integrate with the Start Up ecosystem to encourage the students to aspire to be entrepreneurs and also to provide priority loans for the students under various schemes like Swayam etc. Government will actively engage with the private sector to provide more benefits to the students through these smart cards.

The Government will take further inputs from the students and teachers on the various activities which can be included in this points-system. The Card will be completely technology driven and will be a revolutionary concept towards youth engagement and empowerment.

The Chief Minister also inaugurated a dialysis centre at Umerkote sub-divisional hospital (SDH) in Nabarangpur, district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Sonepur, and BMRC cardiac care hospital in Jharsuguda. He also laid the foundation of an SDH at Begunia in Khurda district.

Earlier, the CM had inaugurated 73 Ama Hospitals in 15 districts and 5 dialysis centres at sub-division level in the first phase. Altogether 140 Ama Hospitals have so far been launched in the state with the inauguration of 67 more facilities on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen hoped that these hospitals will chart a new course in health care services in the state. The hospitals have been transformed keeping the convenience of the patients in mind, he added.

The infrastructure, basic facilities for the patients and service delivery system have been improvised under the 5T initiative of the government in these hospitals.

The chief minister said the government targets to cover 1,858 hospitals under the transformation drive in next 5 years. A provision of more than Rs 3,300 crore has been made for implementation of the scheme.

The five NACs that are being upgraded to municipalities are Boudhgarh in the Boudh district, Karanjia in the Mayurbhanj district, Kantabanji in the Balangir and Chatrapur and Aska NACs in Ganjam district, official sources said.

The decision was taken following 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman V K Pandian’s district tours and keeping the demands of people along with development of the areas in mind.

The newly created NACs are Pallahada and Chhendipada in Angul district, Basta and Simulia in Balasore district, Paikamal and Veden in Bargarh district, Agarpada in Bhadrak district, Belapada and Sintala in Bolangir district, Binjharpur, Panikoili, Jaraka and Chandikhole in Jajpur district, Jayapatna in Kalahandi district, Raikia in Kandhamal district, Boriguma in Koraput district, Sinapali in Nuapada district, Chandili, Muniguda and Bisamakataka in Rayagada district, Dunguripali in Subarnapur district, Banei in Sundargarh district, Shergarh and Kukudakhandi in Ganjam district, Kantilo in Nayagarh district, Tangi and Begunia in Khordha district, Salepur, Badamba, Narasinghpur and Niali in Cuttack district, Betonati in Mayurbhanj district, Parjang in Dhenkanal district and Kantamal in Boudh district.

The creation of new NACs and municipalities was prompted by public demand and factoring in the rising population and socio-economic development of the state, the sources added.

It may be noted here that on the instruction of the Chief Minister, the Home, Excise and Forest & Environment departments reviewed the petty cases registered against the tribal men and women.

After detailed examination, it was decided to withdraw 48,018 cases of the departments.

Among these cases, 36,581 cases under the Excise Department, 9,846 cases under the Housing Department, and 1,591 cases under the Forest & Environment Department have been withdrawn.

Withdrawal of these cases will also reduce the pressure on the courts and the judicial system, the CMO said.

Inaugurating the two-day NUA Odisha Global Summit on Growth and Employment in Bhubaneswar, Naveen said, “In the age of rapidly changing technology and its impact on our future, we must be in a position to swiftly adapt to the new dimensions of socio-economic structure. Transformation for us is not a choice, it’s an essentiality. Our youth must be future ready.”

He said the first NUA Odisha Global Summit on Growth and Employment will be a platform to understand the trend and set a clear path for the future of state’s youth. “As we stand at the crossroads of economic evolution, it is imperative that we come together – industry leaders, and other key stakeholders – to deliberate on strategies that will shape the destiny of our workforce and propel Odisha towards unprecedented prosperity,” he added.

The chief minister hoped that the summit will lay the foundation for identifying potential growth sectors, future workforce strategies, innovative job creation opportunities, and developing Skilled-in-Odisha for upcoming industries. “Together we can unlock the vast potential that Odisha holds and create an economically vibrant and socially inclusive future,” he said.

Minister for Skill Development and Technical Education Priti Ranjan Ghadai said the summit will help the youngsters find a way to get appropriate skills to stay ahead of others.

5T and Nabin Odisha chairman VK Pandian spoke on how the Chief Minister brought about massive transformation in the state. “The Chief Minister has transformed virtually every sector of theeconomy, empowered women and empowered the poorest man in the remotest village of the state,” he said.

Odisha Skill Development Authority chairperson Alaka Mishra and senior officers of the department were present.

According to a press release from chief minister’s office (CMO) on Sunday, the monthly remuneration of the matrons in the women hostels under ST &SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare department has been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000.

The chief minister also announced that in case of demise of a matron during working period, her families will be paid Rs 2 lakh as compensation.

Besides, at the time of retirement of the matrons at the age of 60 years, the state government will pay a consolidated amount of Rs 1 lakh. The government will bear an additional expenditure of more than Rs 15 crore for the new benefits for the matrons of the hostels.

Over 500 industry leaders, CXOs, policymakers and other stakeholders will participate in the well-detailed agenda on the themes of growth and employment during the event being organised by Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) and the Department of Skills & Technical Education. It has been conceptualized to cater to the dynamic industry landscape while fostering a future ready workforce.

The CM’s address at 4.30 pm will be preceded by a session, which will be addressed by Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary SDTE, OSDA chairperson, and SDTE minister.

Thereafter, MoUs will be signed with Tata Strive & ISB Hyderabad for CM Fellowship programme and IIT-Delhi for Centre of Excellence for Learning MoU with GMR Aero Academy for aviation related skilling. Similar agreements will also be inked with IIT-Chennai, OYO, Johnson Lifts, Microsoft Corporation, and Meesha.

Sources further said that NANO unicorn scheme will been launched as state sector scheme. The event will also see launch of Skilled-in-Odisha Internship programme and recruitment agency.

5T & Nabin Odisha chairman Kartik Pandian may also address the summit at around 4 pm on February 20, the sources added.

The transformed Ama Hospitals that were dedicated to people by the chief minister included 5 in Bargarh district, 7 in Sundargarh, 4 in Sambalpur, 4 in Dhenkanal, 6 in Keonjhar, 2 in Jharsuguda, 4 in Jagatsinghpur, 5 in Kendrapada, 9 in Mayurbhanj, 13 in Ganjam, 4 in Kalahandi, 4 in Rayagada, 2 in Nuapada, 2 in Malkangiri and 3 in Kandhamal district.

Similarly, the dialysis centres were opened in sub-divisional hospitals at Karanjia in Mayurbhanj, Kuchinda in Sambalpur, Hinjilikatu in Ganjam, Khariar in Nuapada and Padampur in Bargarh district.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen hoped that these hospitals will chart a new course in health care services in the state. The hospitals have been transformed keeping the convenience of the patients in mind, he added.

The infrastructure, basic facilities for the patients and service delivery system have been improvised under the 5T initiative of the government in these hospitals.

The transformed Ama Hospitals that were dedicated to people by the chief minister included 5 in Bargarh district, 7 in Sundargarh, 4 in Sambalpur, 4 in Dhenkanal, 6 in Keonjhar, 2 in Jharsuguda, 4 in Jagatsinghpur, 5 in Kendrapada, 9 in Mayurbhanj, 13 in Ganjam, 4 in Kalahandi, 4 in Rayagada, 2 in Nuapada, 2 in Malkangiri and 3 in Kandhamal district.

Similarly, the dialysis centres were opened in sub-divisional hospitals at Karanjia in Mayurbhanj, Kuchinda in Sambalpur, Hinjilikatu in Ganjam, Khariar in Nuapada and Padampur in Bargarh district.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen hoped that these hospitals will chart a new course in health care services in the state. The hospitals have been transformed keeping the convenience of the patients in mind, he added.

The infrastructure, basic facilities for the patients and service delivery system have been improvised under the 5T initiative of the government in these hospitals.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said with the establishment of the complex, Choudwar has got back its glory. “Chowdwar was developed as an industrial hub by former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik in the 1950s. Today, once again, a new history has been created for Chowdwar, for the district Cuttack, and for the state of Odisha.”

The CM informed that cotton farmers in Kalahandi, Balangir, Rayagada and Gajapati will benefit from the complex which will also provide employment opportunities for women of the state. “Women will be provided skill training to hone their skills,” he said.

The state industrial department and Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) had given a proposal for setting up a textile facility in Odisha to Welspun Group Chairman B K Goenka during the Make In Odisha programme in 2022.

“Welspun Group will create a new chapter in Odisha’s growth story which began 20 years back,” said its chairman Goenka and added, “Today, Odisha is getting more investments than any other state in the country.” Besides 10,000 direct employment opportunities, 20,000 indirect employment opportunities will also created, he said.

Appreciating the CM and the 5T Initiative of the state government, he said the government schools of Odisha are performing better than private schools today.

Stating that Choudwar was the first industrial town of Odisha, Industries Minister Pratap Keshari Deb said the complex will also create self-employment opportunities for many in the state.

5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian mentioned the various government initiatives under 5T and informed that scholarship under the Nua-O scheme will be provided by February 25.

Among the bus stands inaugurated, three are in Keonjhar, two each in Angul, Balasore, Kendrapara, Rayagada and Nayagarh and one each in Boudh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Koraput, Nuapada, Sambalpur and Sonepur districts.

“Transport has an indispensable role in economic activity. Our goal is to improve the transport system between villages and cities. The 5T initiative is focussed on improving infrastructure and public transport system. The villages are also being connected to the blocks under LAccMI public transport system,” the CM said.

He further said that work on metro rail project has started in Bhubaneswar. “Improvement in transport facilities will benefit farmers while facilitating children’s education,” he said.

Naveen said the new bus stands will be gradually developed into business hubs, giving a push to economic activities in these area. “It is necessary to strengthen public transport infrastructure as well as sensitise people so that they can use this public transport system extensively. Attention should be paid to the safety of people at the new bus stand along proper upkeep of the common facilities,” he added.

The government has planned to open a bus stand in every block of the state under this initiative to boost rural infrastructure.

Pandian said that bus stands play an important role in creating an identity of an area. “These bus stands are your property and I would request everyone to maintain it properly,” he added.

He also spoke about various developmental projects undertaken by the state government under the 5T initiative in various regions.

State Commerce and Transport Minister Tukuni Sahu, Minister for Planning and Coordination Rajendra Dholakia, Minister for Scheduled Tribes and Castes Development Jagannath Saraka and State Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Pradeep Kumar attended the programme along with local legislators. Principal Secretary, Department of Commerce and Transport, Usha Padhi and CMD of OSRTC Diptesh Patnaik were also present.

In the interim budget of 2024-25 presented in the assembly last week, finance minister Bikram Keshari Arukha proposed development of 132 new bus stands under the scheme with an outlay of Rs 210 crore. Fifty-five such bus stands were redeveloped under the scheme in 2023-24, he had informed.

In August 2023, the CM had inaugurated 21 bus stands in 13 districts and laid foundation of 124 at block headquarters in 26 districts under the initiative.