Odisha Cabinet Approves Mega Drinking Water Project For Koraput

Bhubaneswar: Approval of a mega drinking water project in Koraput district was among the nine proposals cleared by the Odisha Cabinet at a meeting presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat here on Thursday.

Briefing mediapersons after the meeting, chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi said the Cabinet cleared the proposal of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department for execution of Rural Piped Water Supply (RWSS) projects under one package to provide safe drinking water in the water scarcity areas of Koraput district. The proposed project 2,79,966 people of 268 villages of 51 gram panchayats under Borigumma, Kotpad and Jeypore blocks of the district will be provided with safe drinking water.

The Cabinet approved the lowest tender of M/s JMC Projects & Ramky Infrastructure (JV), Mumbai amounting to Rs 316.53 crore for execution of the above project. The work is targeted for completion within two years, Padhi added.

He further said that the Cabinet approved a proposal of the Revenue and Disaster Management department for alienation of government land measuring 881.745 acres of 172 villages of Nayagarh, Boudh, Sonepur and Balangir  districts free of premium, incidental charges and capitalized value of land revenue in favour of the Railway ministry for construction of Daspalla-Bolangir segment of Khurda-Balangir new  broad gauge  railway line.

It also decided to sanction of lease of 181.77 acres of government land under Sambalpur tehsil in favour of the Director, IIM-Indore and Mentor Director, IIM-Sambalpur for establishment of a permanent campus of IIM, Sambalpur free of premium and Incidental charges subject to payment of Rs 100 per acre per annum towards annual ground rent and cess at the rate of 75 percent of the ground rent.

Besides a proposal for utilization of land measuring 1735 acres, 2970 acres to be handed over to IDCO for development of Private Industrial Park at Gopalpur in Ganjam district as domestic tariff area by M/s Tata Steel Special Economic Zone Ltd, was also cleared by the state cabinet.

Another important proposal cleared by the Cabinet was the amendment of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016, pursuant to the message received from the Governor, under the first proviso to Article 200 of the Constitution of India, the chief secretary informed.

He said the Draft Biju Patnaik University of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed in the State Assembly on September 29, 2016, and thereafter the Bill was submitted to the Governor for obtaining his kind assent for the enactment of the Bill. The Governor has returned the Bill for reconsideration by the State Assembly as to the desirability of the insertion of Section-7-A for Pro-Chancellor in the light of ICAR Model Act.

The state government, after careful consideration, has decided to withdraw the proposal for insertion of Section-7-A regarding the provision of Pro-Chancellor under Clause 4 of the Bill, Padhi pointed out.

In pursuance of the item 18 of the Second Schedule of the Odisha Government Rules of Business, the Cabinet approved to lay the annual report on the working of the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) for the year 2011-12 together with a memorandum before the State Assembly according to the provision under Article 323(2) of the Constitution of India.

The State Cabinet approved the proposal of the Finance department for amendment of the Odisha Subordinate Finance Service (Commercial Tax Branch) Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules, 1988.

 Under the new amendment, vacancies in the post of Assistant Commercial Tax (CT) and GST Officer meant for the eligible senior assistant (now Assistant Section Officer) of the government departments has been done away with since both the posts bear the same scale of pay and no ASO has exercised option for selection to the post of Assistant Commercial Tax & Goods and Service Tax (GST) Officer since 2008.

Vacancies for the eligible senior clerks and senior stenographers of the Range and Circle offices under the administrative control of Commissioner of CT & GST shall be enhanced to 35 percent while 15 percent of the vacancies shall be meant for the eligible senior assistants and senior stenographers of the office of the Commissioner of CT & GST and Sales Tax Tribunal.

If any vacancies meant for selection from senior assistants and senior stenographers of the office of the Commissioner of CT & GST and Sales Tax Tribunal remains vacant due to non-availability of eligible candidate, the vacant posts shall be filled up by selection of eligible senior clerks and senior stenographers of the Range and Circle offices under the administrative control of the Commissioner of CT & GST, the chief secretary said.

The Cabinet also approved a proposal of the General Administration and Public Grievances departments on exemption of land premium of Rs 25 lakh in favour of Adim Owar Jarpa, a registered non-profit socio-educational and cultural organization of a tribal community engaged in various philanthropic and welfare-centric activities for upliftment of the poor tribal people since 1975, under Chandrasekharpur Mouza in Bhubaneswar.