The Odisha government on Monday decided to further extend its sponsorship for both the Men's and Women's Indian Hockey Teams (senior and junior) for another ten years from 2023 to 2033. (More Hockey News)
The decision in this regard was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik. The cabinet on the day approved 15 different proposals submitted by various departments.
As Odisha has been the official sponsor of both the Men and Women National Hockey Teams since 2018, this support is going to be a significant step towards the growth and development of Hockey in India, chief secretary P K Jena said after the cabinet meeting.
Earlier, Odisha Mining Corporation Limited (OMC) had entered into an agreement with Hockey India, after due government approval, for sponsorship of the Indian Hockey Teams (Men/Women, Senior/Junior) for a period of five years from 2018 to 2023.
Based on a request from President of Hockey India for extension of the agreement, OMC Ltd had sought approval of the Cabinet which got the government’s nod on Monday, Jena said, adding that OMC has now committed to sponsor both the teams till January 31, 2033 and a total amount of Rs 434.12 crores (excluding applicable taxes) will be released by OMC to Hockey India during this period.
In another major decision, the cabinet also accorded its approval for extension of Biju Setu Yojana (BSY) up to 2025-26 with an additional outlay of Rs 3,597.22 crore. The scheme was launched by the state government in the year 2011-12 with the objective to bridge all the missing links on roads of the Rural Development department.
During 2021-22 the scheme was approved to be implemented for a period of three years from 2021-22 to 2023-24 with an outlay of Rs 5,182.00 crore for execution of 946 bridges (396 ongoing and 550 new), he said.
Considering the necessity of bridges in rural areas for improving communication and thereby socio-economic conditions of the people residing in rural areas, in public interest, Cabinet has now approved to take up 866 new bridges in addition to completion of ongoing bridges with an additional outlay of Rs 3,597.22 crore.
The state cabinet has also approved the tender for improvement of Cuttack ring road to 6-lane standard from Khannagar to Link Road under State Sector-Road Development Programme. This road project with a length of 2.1 km will provide better connectivity and reduce traffic congestion.
The state government also decided to implement the Central Scheme Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme to improve the quality, reliability of power supply along with reduction of AT & C loss and ACS-ARR gap. The total outlay of the scheme is Rs 6,284 crore, which includes state government’s share of Rs 2,342 crore.
Under the scheme, there is a provision of Rs 428 crore for smart metering, Rs 4,248 crore for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Rs 1,509 crore for system strengthening. The projects will be executed in three years and will be completed by 2026.
The Cabinet also approved promulgation of Ordinance for amendment of the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) Act, 1993 to include 22 castes in the OBC List.
The state government has also enhanced subsidy under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy, 2021. This policy was implemented on 01.09.2021. Based on the experience and best practices across the country, it is decided to enhance the subsidy for purchase of new EV, Jena said.
