Odisha Cabinet Approves 18 Proposals; ‘Mo Ghara’ Scheme To Be Launched

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved 18 important proposals, including plan to launch a new ‘Mo Ghara’ housing scheme in rural areas of the state.

The meeting of the state Cabinet was chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who completed the fourth year of his fifth term in the high office today.

The Cabinet gave its nod to the proposal for the launch of the new scheme ‘Mo Ghara’, a government housing assistance in rural areas under the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department.

The ‘Mo Ghara’ scheme aims to provide financial assistance to meet the aspiration of the lower and lower-middle-income households of rural Odisha. The scheme will cover all such families who were left out in the existing housing schemes due to stringent eligibility criteria or insufficient allocation and also those who had received housing assistance, Chief Secy P K Jena told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The state Cabinet also approved two rural drinking water supply projects in Gajapati district to benefit more than 1.31 lakh residents of 346 villages. It also cleared six drinking water projects in Balangir district that will benefit more than 1.61 lakh residents of 222 villages of this district.

In another major decision, the Cabinet approved a proposal to implement an institutional development plan with an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore for the transformation of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla. Implementation of the institute development plan for the transformation of VSSUT with an outlay of Rs 2,000 crore will broaden the horizon and give an impetus to multidisciplinary teaching and research.

The Cabinet also approved the establishment and incorporation of a university as an affiliate university in the name of “Odisha University of Health Sciences” which will facilitate achieving excellence in the field of Medical and Allied Health Education and Research. The Cabinet has sanctioned a sum of Rs 330.17 crore for the implementation of the university over a period of five years.

It also decided to develop the Konark Temple Complex. The Konark Heritage Area Development Plan (KHADP) under the Integrated Development of Heritage & Monuments and Tourist Destination Scheme will transform the physical infrastructure in and around the temple complex and upgrade the visitors’ experience. A sum of Rs 209.73 crore has been sanctioned for execution of the project which will be completed within 18 months.

This apart, the Cabinet decided to launch the Ekamra Kshetra Amenities & Monuments Revival Action Plan” for the provision of amenities and revitalisation of various ancient monuments of the Old Town area in Bhubaneswar. An amount of Rs 156.21 crore has been sanctioned for execution of the project.

The Cabinet also approved a proposal to make Hindi movie “Zwigato” and recently released Odia movie “Delivery Boy” tax-free till 30.06.2023.

It approved another major proposal for the enactment of a new legislation relating to the ownership of an individual apartment in a building with an undivided interest in common areas and facilities and to provide for better management of such apartments by repealing the Odisha Apartment Ownership Act, 1982 by way of promulgation of an ordinance.