Bhubaneswar: The previous BJD government spent around Rs 95 crore from the state exchequer on Nutana Unnata Abhilasha Odisha (Nua-O) events, Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj told the Assembly on Friday.
The amount was spent through eight departments fo
r organising cultural programmes and feasts under the programme in colleges across Odisha. School and Mass Education, Higher Education, Skill Development, Sports, Odia Language, Literature, & Culture, Health, Agriculture, and ST & SC Development departments contributed grants for it, the Minister said in his written reply.
The NUA-O programme was launched by the Naveen Patnaik-led government in 2023 for all-round development of students and to provide them a platform to develop their hidden talents in sports and cultural activities. It also aimed at empowering youth with continuous skilling, re-skilling, and up-skilling opportunities.
In December last year, the BJP had criticised the then state government for interfering in campuses and organising festivals in institutions to woo first-time voters ahead of the general elections instead of improving the quality of higher education