The Odisha government has announced a Rs 17,000 crore package in a bid to provide employment opportunities for migrant workers who have returned from different states amidst the ongoing lockdown.
This decision was taken at a meeting attended by the council of ministers, headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. This package named Special Livelihood Intervention Plan will be launched in June and will continue till March 2021. Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy announced the details of the package and stated that the implementation will soon begin in rural areas.
As many as 22 major proposals have been approved by the cabinet for the larger benefit of women, migrants, and farmers of the state. Keeping in mind the most affected tourism industry, the proposal for providing land from the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) to all tourism projects including hotels and restaurants has also been approved.
Notably, South Odisha’s Aska Co-operative Sugar Industries Limited has been given a guarantee of Rs 15 crore to avail cash credit loan. Meanwhile, the Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA) was transferred to the state energy department for better management of renewable sources of power and to attract better projects and investments in the state.
Earlier, in an attempt to boost farmers’ economy, the state had enabled contract farming. For this purpose, a plan to set up a permanent NDRF company headquarters on 3.50 acres of land near Sadar tehsil of Balasore district has also been approved.