Odisha Cabinet Decisions: NUA-O Scholarship For All UG & PG Students, Aviation Training Centre In Dhenkanal

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Saturday approved the amendment in the NUA-O scholarship guidelines to extend its scope to more students.

Speaking to media after the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Revenue Minister Sudam Marndi, Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Development Commissioner Anu Garg said following the amendment in the guidelines, the students pursuing various non-technical under-graduate and post-graduate courses in the institutions under the administrative control of other departments are now eligible to avail the scholarship.

The Cabinet also approved Rs 562 crore for setting up a one-stop-shop Aviation Training Centre at Birasal in Dhenkanal district. It wilk have facilities including pilot training, simulator training and cabin crew trainings and other allied skilled training related to aviation sector.

Once the project is implemented, Odisha will be in a prominent position in aviation sector and can create a pipeline of qualified workforce in aviation industry for the entire country. The project aimed at training about 500 professionals annually.

The Cabinet approved a provision of Rs 950 crore for implementation of the state sector scheme of
the Cooperation department “Share Capital Investment to Cooperative Credit Institutions” for 5 years from 2023-24 to 2027-28, in order to increase the borrowing capacity as well as the equity base of the cooperative credit institutions.  It will enabling them to enhance their lending capability and banking services to the farmer community.

Total 17 proposals of different departments were approved by the Cabinet in the meeting. Following are major decisions:

• Restructuring of Odisha Handicrafts Service (OHS) cadre and Odisha Subordinate Handicrafts Services cadre (HPO) of HT&H Department. Total sanctioned strength of OHS Cadre is 175 in all ranks/grades from Level-
  10 to Level-16 of scale of pay without enhancing the present strength.
• Proposal for amendment of Odisha (Non-Government Colleges, Junior Colleges and Higher Secondary Schools) Grant-in-Aid Order, 2014:

(i) For admissibility of a post, assessment of workload shall be made separately by treating the +2 (Higher Secondary) and +3 (Degree) wings as a separate entity and identity
(ii) To revise the Yardstick Table to enable admissibility of optional subjects and approval of posts based on student enrolment falls in between the intermediary range of student strength
(iii) To include one post of Laboratory Attendant and one post of Library Attendant with admitted student strength of 200 in the yardstick. Approximately 1263 teaching and non-teaching employees will benefit and there will be an additional annual financial implication of Rs 52.35 crore.

• IDCO appointed as the nodal agency for construction of UNITY Mall at Gandamuda in Bhubaneswar under scheme “Special Assistance to the State for Capital Investment (SASCI), 2023-24” of Government of India. IDCO had recommended the rate quoted by Ishwar Singh and Associates Construction Pvt Ltd amounting Rs 134.99 crore for approval of the Cabinet.