Odisha unveils ₹17,000 cr livelihood package

Support for rural population up to March 2021

As Odisha continues its fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the State government on Friday announced a ₹17,000 crore special livelihood intervention package to boost rural economy by improving livelihoods.

The package, which will be implemented between June 2020 and March 2021, was approved at a meeting of the State Council of Ministers chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The package will support livelihoods of the rural population, including farmers, wage earners and migrant workers who have been hit hard by the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic, said Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy after the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

As per the plan, funds will be utilised in various sectors including agriculture, fisheries, animal resources development, forest and environment, cooperative, and handlooms and handicrafts.

To fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming months, the Council of Ministers decided to form committees at the ward level for effective community surveillance both rural and urban areas. The decision follows the involvement of Panchayati Raj institutions in the fight against COVID-19.

Sixty-three more COVID-19 positive cases were detected in the State on Friday taking the total to 1,723. Ninety persons were also discharged from hospitals taking the total recoveries to 977. The number of active cases stood at 737. The State has recorded nine deaths so far — seven due to COVID-19 and two due to other ailments, the State Health Department said.

Mr. Tripathy said all eligible Odia migrant workers returning to the State will be covered under the State government’s food security scheme. A total of 3.18 lakh people have been added to the list of beneficiaries since the lockdown started in March, he said.

The Council of Ministers also gave its approval to proposals for establishment of two industrial parks — a textile park at Dhamra and a medical park at Dhenkanal. While the Dhamra project will create employment opportunity for 20,000 people, 16,000 people will get jobs at Dhenkanal, Mr. Tripathy said.

The State Cabinet, which also held a separate meeting, also approved 22 proposals, including an amendment to the State tourism policy to facilitate land allocation for hotel projects.