The State Cabinet on Friday approved an extension of the ‘Khushi Scheme’ to provide free sanitary napkins to schoolgirls from ClassesVI to XII.
A total of 26 important proposals were okayed by the Cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here. According to a decision, Rs 466 crore will be spent in five years for distribution of sanitary pads among schoolgirls under the Khushi scheme.
The Khushi scheme will benefit 17.25 lakh girl students of Government schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya schools.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to regularise the service of contractual employees in the Health Department who have completed six years of continuous service.
Staff nurses, laboratory assistants, technicians, pharmacists and health workers would be regularised. As many as 1,409 staff nurses, 227 lab technicians, 48 pharmacists, 27,30 MPHW ( F ) and 588 MPHW(M) will be regularised.
Besides, a proposal to amend the Odisha Homoeopathic Medical Education Service Method of Recruitment and Condition of Service Rules, 2013 was approved. As per the amended Rules, the upper age limit for recruitment of homoeopathic doctors will be increased from 32 years to 40 years.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal to frame the Odisha Heads of Department (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service of Establishment Officers, Administrative Officers in the Officer of Heads of Departments) Common Cadre Rules 2019.
Similarly, the Cabinet also okayed the framing of the Odisha Laboratory Technician Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2019.
As many as 799 contractual Laboratory Technicians will be regularized under the new Rules. The State exchequer will have a annual burden of Rs 13,46,10,000.
According to the decision, the framing of the Odisha Nursing Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 2019 was approved. As many as 3,998 Staff Nurses will be regularized and, for this, the State Exchequer will have a financial burden of Rs 80,43,93,600.
The Government also took a decision for execution of Rural Pipe Water Supply projects under one package to provide safe drinking water in Boudh district out of Basudha funding. Anout 2,92,511 people of 747 villages under two blocks will benefit. The tender was awarded to the Larson and Tubro at Rs 427.59 crore.
The Additional Block Development Officers (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Ryules 1992 would be amended to fill up ABDO posts from among Gram Panchayat Extension Officers and Progress Assistants by relaxing the service period as five years from the existing 10 years.
As per a proposal approved, two ULB High Schools of Jharsuguda Municipality and Angul Municipality will be transferred to the control of the School and Mass Education Department.
A proposal was also approved as per which a ‘Programme Management Unit would be set up at State level to provide technical support to Odisha State Aahaar Society. The cost of the a Aahaar Meal was enhanced from Rs 20 to 23. However, beneficial will continue to pay Rs 5 per meal. Provision of night meals at Aahaar centres also got Cabinet nod.
A tender for the Mega Lift Project Cluster-DMF, to be executed with intake points on Brahmani, Baitarini, Mahanadi and Ib River in the districts of Jajpur, Keonjhar and Jharsuguda was awarded to the Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd at Rs 432, 37,50,000.
Besides two more mega lift-irrigation projects of Water Resources Department, KALIA Scholarship Scheme, Rs 3,000-crore bank guarantee to GRIDCO were approved.