Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday approved five proposals, including the creation of a Rs 200 crore corpus fund for Odia Asmita Bhavan; the establishment of the Odia Translation Akademi; and a hike in minimum wages for various categories of workers.
Briefing reporters, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who chaired the meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, stated that the corpus fund aims to revive Odia Asmita and promote and preserve the state’s culture, art, and heritage.
“Odia Asmita Bhawan, a palm leaf manuscript museum, Odia Translation Akademi, development of the Paika Rebellion Memorial, an e-library, and Odia chairs at national and international universities will be set up,” Majhi announced.
“Efforts will also be made to secure international status for the Bali Jatra festival and provide financial assistance for training in Odissi music and dance through the ‘Kalakar Gouraba Nidhi Yojana’.”
Majhi added that a detailed guideline would be prepared, and a committee comprising experts would be formed to oversee the initiatives. The corpus fund is expected to increase in the future as needed.
In another major decision, the Cabinet directed the School and Mass Education department to expedite the recruitment of 18,700 junior teachers.
Additionally, around 5-6 lakh more eligible farmers, including medium, large, and urban farmers, will be included under the PM-Kisan scheme. These farmers were previously denied benefits due to criteria set by the KALIA Yojana of the previous BJD government.
Majhi informed that the Cabinet also decided to spend Rs 1084.38 crore in the coming five years to revive the defunct lift irrigation projects and boost the capability of the operational irrigation projects in the state. The cabinet meeting also approved several other major proposals of different departments.
The Cabinet approved a proposal to increase the minimum wages for various categories of workers. The wage for unskilled workers will raised from Rs 352 to Rs 450, for semi-skilled workers from Rs 392 to Rs 500, for skilled workers from Rs 442 to Rs 550, and for highly skilled workers from Rs 502 to Rs 600.
This was the second meeting of the state Cabinet after the BJP government assumed office. The first meeting, held shortly after the BJP ministry took oath on June 12, approved the reopening of all four gates of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri and the establishment of a corpus fund for the 12th-century shrine.
