The state’s 2.3 lakh crore yearly budget was approved by the council of ministers on Monday. On February 24, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari will present the budget to the Legislature, which is expected to be the largest ever in Odisha. For 2022–2023, the government set aside Rs 2 lakh crore. The budget proposals for 2023–24 will increase by around 15%.
Following the cabinet meeting, which was presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and during which 15 proposals were adopted, the council of ministers met. According to the chief secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, the cabinet approved spending over ‘286 crore to build a water treatment facility in Bhubaneswar due to the city’s rising demand for drinking water.
The cabinet authorised the proposal to establish a water treatment plant in Mundali with a capacity of 130 million litres per day because the current capacity of water treatment facilities has reached saturation. The Water Corporation of Odisha will carry out the project. LC lnfra Projects Private Ltd will carry out the project under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract, which also covers operation and maintenance for five years.
The formation of leave and training reserve (LTR) positions in various categories of teaching positions in government secondary schools under the School and Mass Education department was also approved by the cabinet. According to the proposal, 6,025 posts, or 15% of the total cadre strength of 40,166 instructors, will be created to cover the need for teachers who are unavailable due to leave, training, or medical reasons.
In addition, the cabinet authorised a plan to spend Rs 1,000.14 crore building 237 boys’ dorms for Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas. The rough estimate is Rs. 4.22 crore per hostel with a capacity of 100 beds. Mahapatra said that the plan to lease out 40 acres of land at Goudakashipur in Jatni in favour of the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) Trust for the construction of the SVKM University has been authorised. The proposed institution will serve as a hub for educational resources and enable access to higher education on a national and international scale. The organisation would reserve 30% of the seats for Odisha’s poor pupils.
The next of kin compensation plan for convicts who pass away in imprisonment was approved. The amount of the award will be determined later. In order to provide a family pension to a transgender child in the event that a government employee or pensioner passes away, an amendment to the Odisha Civil Service (Pension) Regulations, 1992 was passed.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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