Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Friday approved pipe drinking water projects in 10 blocks of 3 districts.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, took 16 major decisions relating to the departments of Agriculture and Farmer’s Empowerment, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Planning and Convergence, Revenue and Disaster Management, Steel and Mines, and Water Resources.
Speaking to media persons about Cabinet decisions, chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said in order to achieve its target of providing pipe drinking water to entire state by 2024, the Cabinet approved the following proposals:
- Rs 501 crore for execution of pipe water supply projects in 4 blocks of Dhenkanal district. It would cover 271 villages under 71 panchayats and benefit 3.41 lakh people.It is targeted to be completed in 2 years.
- Rs 416 crore for 3 blocks in Kendrapada district. The projects would cover 522 villages under 76 panchayats and benefit 4.35 lakh people
- Rs 291 crore for 41 panchayats in 3 blocks of Balasore district. It would benefit 2.62 lakh people
The Cabinet also decided to extend the period of Millet Mission in tribal areas. The Mission, started from 2014, was scheduled to continue upto 2020. Now it has been extended for 6 more years upto 2026. A budget of Rs 2,800 crore was approved for the Mission which would cover 142 blocks in 19 districts.
The financial bid for Khalpal in-stream storage structures across river Bramhani; community harnessing and harvesting of rain water; cyclone resilient saline embankment projects, and construction of barrage cum bridge across rive Koel also got cabinet nod.
The proposal for creation of additional posts in Odisha Revenue Service (ORS) Group -B cadre was also approved at the meeting. At present, the cadre strength of ORS Group-B is 1,092. The Cabinet approved creation of 198 more posts approved for ORS.
