Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Friday reviewed the implementation of various Central and state welfare schemes with Secretary of the Union Department of Social Justice and Empowerment Sudhansh Pant, with discussions focusing on social inclusion, education, livelihood generation and empowerment of vulnerable sections.
The meeting examined programmes being implemented through the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare Department and the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department.
Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the SC, ST and MBC Department B Parameswaran made a presentation on initiatives aimed at the socio-economic development of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and backward classes.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, 2,033 villages across all 30 districts have been selected for 2025-26 and 2026-27, of which 1,519 have been declared model villages. The programme focuses on rural development, livelihood generation and skill development.
The Income Generation Scheme for SC women self-help groups is providing support through bank loans and subsidies for livelihood activities in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, industry, services and business. Under the Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jati Abhyudaya Yojana, the state is also implementing skill development, income-generation and infrastructure initiatives.
The meeting was informed that 4,628 persons have received skill development training with employment-linked assistance, while 168 hostels are currently functional for SC students from remote areas.
In the education sector, post-matric scholarships were provided to 2,38,109 SC students and pre-matric scholarships to nearly one lakh students during 2025-26. The application and disbursement process has been digitised through the Odisha State Scholarships Portal.
For students belonging to backward classes, scholarships and hostel facilities are being provided under the PM Yashasvi scheme, under which the Centre and state share the assistance in a 60:40 ratio. During 2025-26, pre-matric scholarships were provided to 2,08,745 students, while 4,71,572 students received scholarships under the programme.
The meeting also highlighted livelihood success stories, including orchid cultivation by the Har Parbati Self-Help Group in Ganjam, the placement of Dhenkanal’s Kishan Patra in a technical institution in Hyderabad following skill training, and the employment of Balasore’s Parshuram Majhi in the technical sector in China.
Pant appreciated the initiatives undertaken by Odisha and the success stories presented at the meeting, while offering suggestions for strengthening the implementation of welfare programmes.
The Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department also presented the status of programmes covering persons with disabilities, senior citizens, transgender persons and people requiring rehabilitation.
For the rehabilitation of persons dependent on substances, 41 Integrated Rehabilitation Centres and 11 Disha centres are currently operational. The Disha centres have so far rehabilitated 4,986 persons, provided skill training to 3,577 and supported 1,459 with livelihood-based employment.
Discussing the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, Garg outlined measures being taken towards a drug-free Odisha, including action against illegal cannabis cultivation, enforcement raids and awareness campaigns in educational institutions. Pant called for expanding the campaign further across the state.
The meeting was also informed about measures for the welfare of transgender persons. The Odisha State Transgender Welfare Board has been constituted and held its first meeting on August 7. A total of 3,159 transgender certificates and identity cards have been issued in the state.
More than 104 transgender self-help groups have been formed, of which 58 have received one-time assistance of Rs 50,000 each. Benefits under the Madhubabu Pension scheme and housing support under Basundhara for homeless transgender persons were also discussed.
For rehabilitation of persons engaged in begging and destitute persons, 21 Bhikshu Punarvas Kendra are functioning in eight districts, extending assistance to nearly 1,800 people.
The state currently has 95 old-age homes operating under Central and state schemes, accommodating around 2,600 inmates. The meeting stressed the need to strengthen healthcare and other support services for senior citizens.
Discussions also covered long-term strategies aligned with the Vision of Viksit Odisha 2036 and 2047, including revision of the Senior Citizens Policy, an inclusive policy for persons with disabilities and the proposed Inter-Agency Council or State Resource Centre for elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
State DGP Vinaytosh Mishra, Principal Secretary of the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department Suresh Kumar Vashishth, Director Parul Pattwari, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department Aravind Agrawal, Secretary of the School and Mass Education Department N Tirumala Naik, besides senior officials of the Home Department, police administration and other concerned departments, attended the meeting.
