Roopa Roshan Sahoo, secretary of the department, in a letter to all collectors on Wednesday, directed the schools, hostels and establishments to adopt the “eco-friendly” campaign and convert all the kitchens to LPG-based cooking environment.

She said the government has consistently taken steps for smooth functioning of the residential facilities by providing better and improved amenities including strengthening of infrastructure. Similarly, the entitlements of the boarder students have been expanded by providing winter clothes, casual dresses, improvement in diet etc.

“Now, this has been decided to add one more improvement, particularly for strengthening the cooking facilities in the institutions while phasing out the conventional methods by LPG so as to ensure a green and healthy alternative in and around the hostel kitchens. During next two years, all the hostels will have LPG based cooking facilities,’’ she said in the letter.

At present, there are 1,736 schools functioning under the department, while there are around 6,000 hostels including the hostels under Anwesha and Akankhya programme in which more than 5 lakh ST&SC students have been housed.

During 2024-25, all high schools (422), higher secondary schools (62), Biju Pattnaik Adarsh Vidyalaya (1), Kalinga Model Residential School (5) and Anwesha Hostels (93) including 1,222 hostels with 1,76,000 boarders will be included in the plan. The remaining schools and hostels will be covered during 2025-26.

To implement the plan, additional funds have been provisioned in amenities sector in 2024-25 Budget besides the fuel charges. The provision of cooking gas chullah, LPG cylinders, fuel etc has been incorporated in the entitlements and amenities guidelines.

During first phase of 2024-25, all hostels in 50 high schools, 20 higher secondary schools, 5 KMRS, 1 BPAV and 25 Anwesha Hostels will be taken up and completed by June 30. “The selection of specific school and hostel will be decided at district level and communicated to the department,” the letter stated.

Briefing the media, Ministers Ranendra Pratap Swain and Sudam Marandi and Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said total 16 proposals from 13 departments were approved in the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The ministers said in order to ensure hassle-free and smooth implementation of this KALIA scheme and bring the farmers into the financial mainstream of the society, the Cabinet approved the budget.

The Cabinet also approved the proposal to change the release dates of KALIA assistance. The government had earlier decided to provide the financial assistance to the KALIA beneficiaries twice in a year before the cropping seasons. It was given from April 1 for Kharif season and from September 1 for Rabi season.

Besides, the Cabinet approved to provide Rs 2,000 as one-time additional financial support/assistance to eligible landless agricultural households under the scheme. The government is already paying Rs 12,500 in 3 instalments to take up livestock and horticultural crop-based activities to the beneficiaries.

Besides, amendment of the Odisha Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy-2023 was approved to attract investors for setting up units to manufacture Semiconductor/EIectronic Chips and fabless design of the products.

Under the revised provisions, mega projects exceeding Rs 500 crore in investment can now effortlessly access an upper limit of Rs 25 crore per annum for a 7 years towards interest subsidy, as the previous 5% capping for interest
subvention has been eliminated. Additionally, such mega projects are entitled to reimbursement of R&D expenditures upto Rs 2 crore annually for 10 years.

As for the Production Linked Incentive (PLI), all units are now eligible to apply for the incentive for a continuous period of 5 years within the 7-year period following the commencement of production. In terms of skill development, eligible units will receive reimbursement of upto Rs 2 crore per annum for 5 years to facilitate the
training of their employees engaged in core operations.

Following are other major proposals approved by the Cabinet:

>>Development of Ro-Pax Jetty and allied infrastructures project connecting Kaninali in Bhadrak district and
Talachua in Kendrapada district under Sagarmala Programme with a cost of Rs 146.39 crore

>>The budget for Nua-O, a youth empowerment initiative, revised to Rs 315 crore

>>Amendment of the Odisha Sub-ordinate Finance Service (Commercial Tax Branch) Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules,1988.

>>The prescribed syllabus for the departmental examination required to be passed by the Assistant Commercial Tax and GST Officers will be amended to incorporate “The Odisha Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and rules made thereunder” in order to enhance the working knowledge of the officers under the GST regime.

>>The nomenclature of “Commissioner of Commercial Taxes and GST, Odisha” is proposed to be amended to “Chief Commissioner of Commercial Taxes and GST, Odisha” (if in the rank of Principal Secretary to Government).
Extension of grant-in-aid at revised scale in line with 7th Pay Commission to institutions for eligible employees covered under Odisha (Non-Government Colleges, Junior Colleges and Higher Secondary Schools) Grant-in-Aid in the shape of Block Grant Order, 2014. It will have additional annual financial implication of Rs 27.37 crore.

>>Recently released Hindi movies “12th Fail” made entertainment tax free

>>Allotment to 515 eligible displaced families of East Pakistan and Burma Repatriates with DP Tenements free of cost, upto 4 tenements per family. These displaced persons have settled at Sunabeda in Koraput district from 1964. Now they will have a permanent title and ownership over the land and structures existing over such land.

Principal Secy, PR & DW & Excise Sushil Kumar Lohani, Principal Secy Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Secy, Aswathi S, Secy Arabinda Agrawal were also present at the press meet.

As per a notification issued by the Home department, five of the six IPS officers have been posted as sub-divisional police officers (SDPO), while another has got posted as ASP.

Two of the officers belong to 2020 batch and the rest four are from 2021 batch. The notification is given below:

Replying to a question from Congress MLA Santosh Singh Saluja, Marndi said the government had received petitions for creation of Padampur, Dharmagarh, West Mayurbhanj, Rairangpur, Khiching, Karanjia or Panchipur, Bonai, Rourkela, Titlagarh, Kantabanji, Patnagarh, Talcher, Pallahara Gadjat, Bhubaneswar, Ghumusar, Rushikulya (headquarters at Aska), Berhampur, Bhanjanagar, Chandikhol, Athagarh, Kuchinda, Baliguda, Anandpur, Nilgiri, Soro, Jaleswar, Nimapara and Gunupur districts.

Marndi said the decision for creation of new districts in Odisha will be taken at appropriate time and in accordance with the existing rules. He also informed that the government had received petitions against formation of Rourkela district from Sundargarh.

In December last year, the Orissa High Court had asked the government not to form new districts without its consent. The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi and Justice Murahari Raman had given the directions after hearing a writ petition for creation of new districts.

A press release of the Ministry stated that the Railway Board has approved Rs 244.77 crore for the PoH. The approval followed consideration of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted in September, 2023.

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had assured local people, including public representatives, of establishing the wagon PoH after they raised the demand in this regard. Besides the demand, the critical need for such a workshop was also taken into consideration before the Ministry extended its approval, the release stated.

The proposed wagon PoH workshop, with a capacity for 200 wagons, will be set up on the vacant land available with the Indian Railways at Kantabanji.

The Wagon PoH workshop is expected to increase the freight traffic in the region and ensure safe train operations due to regular overhauling of wagons. It will also increase the life span of wagons thereby leading to cost saving on replacements.

Besides, the wagon maintenance will improve efficiency and reliability, resulting in better performance and reducing downtime.

Niyati Pattanaik, Director, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department signed the MoU on behalf of the department. Ashok Chandra Panda, Minister of SSEPD and Bishupada Sethy, principal secretary of the department were present.

As per the MoU, BMVSS will provide services of artificial limbs for 5 years to the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). BMVSS is the main body of Jaipur Foot which is produced with indigenous technology. It is the world’s largest organisation for rehabilitation of PwDs and has rendered over 2.2 million services.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said his department and BMVSS will collaborate in Public Private Participation (PPP) mode to provide Jaipur Artificial Limbs/Callipers from permanent centers, camps or mobile workshop to PwDs in the state expeditiously.

A good number of PWDs have already been provided aids and appliances including Orthosis and Prosthesis by Biju Mahaveer Jaipur Food Centre, Khurda, he added.

Sethy said the Food Centre will continue to fabricate and fit Jaipur foot prosthetic limbs and callipers and serve as a base for undertaking camps and providing services in other parts of the state.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has got a new Additional Administration and Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (OMFED) a new Managing Director as part of the reshuffle

As per a notification of the General Administration & Public Grievance department, Director of Export Promotion and Marketing (DEPM) BImalendu Ray has been allowed to remain in additional charge of OMFED MD.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Puri Pradip Kumar Sahu has been transferred and posted as Additional Administrator of SJTA.

Similarly, Sambalpur ADM Pradeep Kumar Sahoo has been posted as additional secretary in Agriculture and FE department, while Bargarh ADM Pabitra Behera has been posted as Balangir ADM.

Bhabani Prasad Mishra, joint secretary in Fisheries and ARD department, has been posted as Commissioner of Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC) on foreign service terms and conditions.

Similarly, Sambit Kumar Rout, additional commissioner in BeMC with additional charge of secretary BeDA, has been posted as settlement officer, Ganjam-Koraput major settlement, Berhampur.

Sarat Chandra Behera, joint secretary in Odisha sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) has been posted as Puri ADM, while Balangir ADM Mahendra Mohapatra has been Bargarh ADM.

Likewise, Ramesh Hanshda, additional commissioner in BeMC, has been posted as secretary, BeDA on foreign service terms and conditions, while Sambit Kumar Garnayak, Land Officer in IDCO, was posted Sambalpur ADM.

Hemasagar Bhoi additional sub-collector of Kuchinda in Sambalpur district, has been posted as sub-collector, Kuchinda, while Durjyodhan Bhoi, BDO of Papadahandi, has been posted as sub-divisional magnstrate in Kuchinda in Sambalpur district, the notification stated.

All the exams scheduled for January 17 will be conducted on January 21, the institute said in a notification.

The University, its constituted/affiliated colleges and the Centre for UG & PG Studies (CUPGS) will also remain closed.

The announcement came after the Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management department asked all government schools, colleges, and offices in the state will remain closed on January 17 in view of Parikrama Prakalpa opening in Puri.

The last date for online registration for BSKY Nabin card has been extended to January 26. Earlier, the last date for application for the health scheme was January 16.

A notification in this regard has been issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department. Health and Family Welfare Secretary, and Chairman State Health Assurance Society, Shalini Pandit has issued an official notification to this effect.

As per the criteria of the scheme, all rural families (except regular government employees, government pensioners and income tax payers) presently not covered under BSKY/ Ration Card are eligible for BSKY Nabin Card.

In order to apply for BSKY Nabin Card, the applicant can visit the website bskynabin.odisha.gov.in for self-registration or visit any Mo Seva Kendra.

The beneficiaries with BSKY Nabin Card are entitled to get cashless treatment for identified critical diseases (Heart Diseases, Kidney Diseases, Liver diseases, Brain Stroke, Severe Head Injury, Brain Tumour, Burns Management, Nerve & Muscle Diseases and Cancer) at all empaneled hospitals both inside and outside Odisha. BSKY Nabin Card will provide cashless treatment of Rs 5 lakh per annum per family and additional Rs 5 lakh for women members of the family. BSKY Nabin Card holders will get cashless coverage at empaneled private hospitals with effect from 1st May 2024.

Existing beneficiaries of BSKY need not apply for BSKY Nabin Card. Their eligibility and entitlements will not change. Newly enrolled beneficiaries of ration card will continue to get auto-enrolled under BSKY, official sources said.

A release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Sunday stated that the devotees from across the state are expected to participate in the inauguration programme of Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa (heritage corridor project).

The programme has been organised for the devotees to celebrate in an atmosphere of devotion and piety. For the convenience of the people, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has declared January 17 as a government holiday.

All government offices and educational institutions including schools and colleges will remain closed on the day, the release stated.

The Chief Minister is scheduled to attend the inauguration of the heritage corridor project.