Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal on Friday claimed that the State Government has performed phenomenally in several sectors and is striving very hard to take Odisha to new heights.
Addressing the State Assembly on the first day of its Budget Session, the Governor lauded the efforts of the Government to serve people through Mo Sarkar and 5T initiatives. He said his Government is currently implementing 5T and Mo Sarkar vigorously to bring transformation in the entire governance system.
He started his speech with paying tributes to two former Ministers and six former members of the House.
He said the overall law and order situation has remained by and large peaceful.
Appreciating the KALIA scheme, the Governor said it has helped farmers in enhancing economic strength and benefitted students through scholarship.
The Governor said plans have been made for completion of ongoing major and medium irrigation projects within next five years. About 200 MI tanks would be undertaken and 1,200 defunct LIPs would be made functional.
The Governor said his Government has focused on the promotion of Shree Jagannath culture. A beautification drive of Shreemandir in Puri has been initiated and steps are also being taken for beautification of Shree Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar.
He said employment opportunities are being created through the MSME units.
On food security measures, the Governor informed that the beneficiaries coverage the NFSA and the SFSS is 3,28,50,816 which is 78.3% the State’s 2011 Census population.
The Governor said his Government is committed to provide Pucca houses in a phased manner to all rural houseless and households staying in Kutcha houses. “My Government is a pioneer in the country in the construction of more than 23 lakh houses for the rural poor since 2014-15,” claimed Lal.
The Governor said the Government has taken measures to provide world-class healthcare facilities in the SCB Medical College and Hospital. Under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, over 70 lakh families can be referred to empallened private hospitals both inside and outside the State with annual health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per annum and Rs 10 lakh for women members.
He said 1,403 OPSC qualified Medical Officers would soon join under the Odisha Medical Health Services Cadre. He said with Niramaya like programmes, there has been 33 per cent increase in footfall both in OPD and IPD within a year. More than 40 lakh mothers have benefited under the Mamata scheme.
He said the Government has rechristened the State Secretariat as Lok Seva Bhawan to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and has inscribed Talisman of Gandhiji in it to uphold the spirit of Swaraj.
While 214 Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas are operating now, 36 more such schools would be made function from the next academic session. The Government has proposed to sanction 100 hostels to 10,000 OBC and SEBC students in 14 major urban educational hubs of the State.
The Government has achieved debt sustainability bringing down Debt-GSDP ratio from 50.7 per cent in 2002-03 to 16.8 per cent in 2018-19, he said.
Due to adoption of digital methods, 57 lakh pages of budget documents have not been printed and, thus, 700 large trees saved a year, said the Governor.
The Governor said the State’s mineral revenue from mineral royalty has increased by 7 per cent to Rs 7,747.67 crore in a year by December 2019.
He said the Government has emerged as a front runner in the promotion of sports in the country. The Government would construct an international standard Aquatic Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar and Satellite stadiums in Brahmapur, Sambalpur, Cuttack and Rourkela.
“My Government will continue to prioritise the creation and development of key and basic infrastructure, including connectivity, provision of safe drining water, power supply, supporting agriculture with irrigation and other facilities and taking healthcare and education to the next level,” asserted the Governor.