All Urban Areas In Odisha To Become Slum-Free By This Year End: Governor Raghubar Das In Assembly

Bhubaneswar: Describing language as the identity of a community, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das on Monday hailed the state government for its efforts to promote Odia.

Addressing the state Assembly on the opening day of the budget session, the Governor congratulated the government for organising the first ever World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar.

He also congratulated the state government on the inauguration of the newly-built campus of Odia University at Satyabadi in Puri district and said it will play a significant role in further enriching the language.

Stating that ten towns and cities in Odisha have already been made slum-free, the Governor said all urban areas in the state will become slum-free by December 2024.

Highlighting achievements made in the farm sector, Das said foodgrain production in the state has touched 141.36 lakh metric tonne (MT) during 2022-23, which is almost two-and-a-half times the production of 55.35 MT during 2000-01.

Similarly, the production of rice has touched an all-time high of 2,936 kg per hectare exhibiting nearly threefold increase over 1,041 kg per hectare during the same period, he said.

Odisha has been one of the pioneer states to launch ‘Odisha Millet Mission’ for promotion of these climate resilient and nutrition rich crops which play a decisive role in our nutrition security.

The state government’s farmers’ welfare programme, ‘KALIA’ (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) introduced in 2018, is intendded to acelerate agricultural prosperity and reduce poverty in the state through support to small and marginal farmers”.

Assistance has so far been provided to around 43.88 lakh small and marginal and 18.93 lakh landless agricultural households in the state, he said.

For enhancing milk production in the state government has introduced advanced bovine breeding technology, artificial insemination with an objective of production of more than 90 percent female calves, he said in his address.

Similarly, the government is promoting goat meat production by supporting WSHGs for commercial goatery units and individual poor farmers in the mining affected districts with small  units, Das added.