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.

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.

With the inclusion of Birmaharajpur in the list, the number of new NACs being formed in the state has gone up to 35 now, an official release said.

Birmaharajpur is at present a sub-divisional headquarters in Sonepur district in western Odisha.
On Saturday, the CM had announced the formation of 34 new notified area councils in 20 districts and the upgradation of five existing NACs into municipalities.

The government, in a statement, said the new NACs and municipalities were created in view of the public demand and increasing population and socio-economic development of the state.

The five NACs, which have been upgraded into municipalities, are Boudhgarh in Boudh district, Karanjia in Mayurbhanj, Kantabanji in Bolangir and Chatrapur and Aska in Ganjam, official sources said.

Located in Kalinganagar of the city, the BDA has developed the forest in collaboration with the Forest department in 89.05 acre of land. The area, which was a barren patch a few years ago, has been converted into green cover now.

According to sources, the Anandabana has several amenities to attract the visitors to take a break from concrete landscape and spend time amidst green cover. It has been divided into two patches with a foot overbridge in the middle. Tree houses, rope bridge, wooden bridge and rose garden are other attractive features.

It has also soil, rock and bicycle trails, sitting facilities for visitors, an interpretation centre, an open-air theatre, Mission Shakti stalls, toilets and parking lots.

The urban forest has several species of trees including bamboo, neem and banyan besides 60 types of medicinal plants. The visitors can get details by scanning the barcode on each tree. The urban forest will be opened to the public soon, the sources said.

5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman VK Pandian on Friday issued the direction in this regard to the officials during his visit to the project site on Friday.

He inspected all elements of the development plan starting with parking space near Sanitarium Chhak, where besides bus parking and car parking, tourist conveniences, vending zone and Lingaraj police station will be constructed.

Focusing on the rehabilitation of the shopkeepers and the vendors, he said their livelihood must be ensured in all possible ways. Reviewing the land requirements for the alternative road from Kotitirtheswar to Taleswar parallel to Bindusagar road, he advised BMC to hand over balance land wherever required for construction of drains.

He also inspected the area behind the Ananta Vasudev Temple, the location of open Bhajan Mandap and Lingaraj Plaza area and advised to plan the foundation for queue management system in a manner not to disturb the landscape during annual requirements like Sivaratri. Scientific management of traffic was discussed during the review.

To promote a clean environment around the temple, battery operated vehicles will be used to ferry passengers around the temple.

He also inspected the south side of the Parikrama and OAR, and the alternative bypass road planned near Badheibank Chhak. He advised to plan for smooth curves at all crossings and expedite the land acquisition process.

During the visit, principal secretary, Works; BMC Commissioner; Collector, DCP, OBCC MD and other senior officers were present.

The encounter took place when personnel of Special Operations Group (SOG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were conducting a combing operation inside the forest in Paikmal area of the western Odisha district, close to Chhattisgarh.

Acting on a tip-off about presence of a group of Maoists on Gandhamardan Hill, a team of SOG and CRPF personnel had launched a combing operation and the ultras reportedly opened fire after seeing the cops in a hilly terrain near village Khandijharanunder in the morning.

As the security personnel retaliated in self defence, a fierce gunbattle ensued in the forest, sources said. The encounter reportedly continued for quite some time.

After the exchange of fire, security personnel searched the area and found IED, 8 bags, camp articles, clothes, food items etc. Search is continuing in the area.

Senior police officials have rushed to the area in the wake of the encounter to take stock of the situation.

This is 62.50 per cent more than the current remuneration. A total of 13,000 self-employed mechanics of the state will benefit from this increase, official sources said on Friday.

It is worth mentioning that during the district tours of 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman V K Pandian, there were requests and proposals in this regard from various volunteer mechanics and representatives. After discussion on the issue, it was decided to increase the salary of self-employed artisans.

To provide regular clean drinking water to all the villages of the state and to eliminate waterlogging, two mechanics are employed in every village panchayat. They provide continuous services for piped water supply, maintenance, and repair of tube wells.

During her stay in Odisha, Murmu is scheduled to attend various events in her home district, Mayurbhanj, and in Keonjhar, Berhampur, Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur.

According to official sources, the President will arrive in Mayurbhanj district on February 28 and inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several projects at her native place in Rairangpur. She is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a holiday home of the CPWD and some highway projects, among others.

On February 29, she will spend around 30 minutes and offer prayers at Maa Kichakeswari temple between 10.10 am and 10.40 am before proceeding to Keonjhar to inaugurate a national-level seminar on tribals at Dharanidhar University.

In the evening, she will attend the 53rd Convocation of Utkal University in Bhubaneswar and stay overnight at Raj Bhavan.

On March 1, President Murmu will attend the 25th Convocation of Berhampur University in Ganjam district. The following day, she will participate in various programmes in Sambalpur before departing for Delhi.

Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena and DGP Arun Kumar Sarangi reviewed preparations for the President’s visit to the state at a high-level meeting, which was attended by collectors and SPs of the five districts, on Thursday.

This will be her third visit to her home district since assuming charge as the President in July 2022.

In November 2023, the President had inaugurated an Eklavya Model Residential School at Kuliana and also attended the inaugural session of the 36th Annual Conference and Literary Festival of All India Santali Writers’ Association at Baripada, in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district. Earlier in May that year, she attended the convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University in Baripada and also visited the Similipal Tiger Reserve.

Inaugurating the facility, the chief minister said Odisha has scripted success stories in many spheres over the years. The ‘New Odisha’ is forging ahead towards progress, buoyed by innovation, new ideas and a strong entrepreneurial ethos.

“Odisha’s growth trajectory is fuelled by a robust ecosystem which will further boost entrepreneurship, technological innovation and new age businesses. Accenture’s expertise in these areas will add immense value to our endeavours. Opening of Accenture’s Advanced Technology Centre marks yet another watershed moment, signifying the fast-changing IT, strategy and consulting ecosystem in the state,” he added.

Tusharkanti Behera, Minister of State for Electronics & IT said Bhubaneswar has become a global hotspot for IT, ESDM and consulting companies. “With its visionary policies and vibrant ecosystem, the state has emerged as the undisputed leader in the IT domain, shaping the future of technology. Accenture’s new technology centre will create more opportunities for the youths in state,” he added.

Stating that Odisha is home to reputed academic institutions and a rich pool of skilled talent, Bhaskar Ghosh, Chief Strategy Officer, Accenture said, “Our Bhubaneswar centre will build transformative solutions for our clients using the cloud, data, and AI including generative AI.” Manoj Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary, E&IT Department also spoke.

Located at the Odisha Technology Centre, the IT company’s Bhubaneswar centre is spread over 70,000 sq ft and designed to accommodate 2000 professionals in hybrid work environment with potential for future expansion.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company covering over 743,000 people including over 300,000 in India. It is recognised for its market-leading people policies, continuous investment in learning career opportunities across technology areas and industry domains, and a deep-rooted commitment to a culture of equality.

Chief Executive Officer of CGTMSE Sandeep Verma and Prangyasmita Sahu, Director, Institutional Finance, Department of Finance, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Bhubaneswar on Thursday. Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena; Development Commissioner; Additional Chief Secretary, H&UD; Principal Secretary, PR&DW and Principal Secretary, Finance were present.

As per the MoU, CGTMSE will provide guarantee upto 85% of the loan amount, while the state government will guarantee the rest 15% of the loan amount availed under ‘SWAYAM’ scheme, which was launched to promote entrepreneur skills among the youths and empower them to become ‘Swatantra Yuva Udyami’.

As per the norms on share of guarantee coverage, the government, on behalf of the beneficiaries, will bear the annual guarantee fee charged by the CGTMSE.

Principal Secretary, PR&DW department, briefed the officials of banks in the state about the new scheme. Besides, they were informed that the government will bear the interest burden accrued from the loan under the scheme.

Under ‘SWAYAM’ scheme, youth in the age group of 18-35 years will be provided interest-free bank loan for project cost of Rs 1 lakh to start a new business or expand their existing business.

The upper-age limit for the applicants belonging to SC/ST/PwD/Urban Transgender categories is 40 years. To avail the loan under the scheme, the borrower will neither have to pay any processing fee nor collateral is needed by the bank. The repayment period for the loan will be 4 years including moratorium period varying from 3 to 6 months as per the rules of the bank.