AS Naidu panel report accepted; each deceased’s kin to get Rs 1.5l Markfed capital restructuring okayed law to be made for Birla Global Varsity regulation
The State Government on Wednesday formulated a comprehensive State Policy for Girls and Women, 2014 for holistic development and empowerment of the fair sex. It lays focus on security and equal opportunity in all spheres of life, political, social and economic, to women.
The first of its kind, the policy was proposed by the State Women and Child Development Department, which was approved by the State Cabinet held here on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. It was an outcome of the promise given to the women by the Chief Minister during his party’s election manifesto.
The Cabinet also approved 14 other proposals enlisted in the agenda. However, there was no official briefing on the Cabinet decisions on the plea that the Assembly is in Session.
According to official sources, the policy for girls and women has the vision and mission to create an enabling environment for girls and women that would promote equal opportunity, eliminate discrimination, ensure holistic development and empowerment and enhance their capacity. Besides, it would create atmosphere to enable the girls and women to lead a healthy life with dignity to ensure participation in social, political and economic spheres and take leadership and participate in decision making.
The policy would also enable women groups to claim their rights over assets, land and housing and ensure inheritance rights.
The Government would make proper legislation and administrative measures to ensure asset ownership right. A special course would be introduced on land rights of women and related laws and judicial decisions.
As per the provisions, the Government would provide free land and homestead land to the landless women and widows above the age of 45 years and disabled women. The women SHGs would be provided at least four decimals of Government lease land free of premium. Besides, stamp duty would be waived for women for registration of land and house and other immovable property, whether bought or obtained as gift.
In order to ensure safety and protection of women, the State Government would set up a dedicated unit in the Home Department to assist the police in case of violence against women.
The policy also provided to constitute Women Gram Sabha in all villages in line with Gram Sabha to discuss and decide important women related issues, set up Kasturaba Women Vidyalaya for women and put up special cells under the State employment mission for their skill development.
The Cabinet accepted the report of the Justice AS Naidu Commission of Inquiry pertaining to the death of at least 40 persons consuming contaminated medicine and alcohols in Cuttack and Khurda district in February 2012 and action taken thereof.
As per the recommendation of the Naidu Commission, the State Government decided to introduce award to encourage the general public, NGOs and local inhabitants to pass on information on manufacturing and sale of spurious drugs and alcoholic beverages in order to check hooch tragedy and hooch trade.
The Commission, according to sources, recommended the Government to provide compensation of Rs 1.50 lakh each to the next of kin, particularly to the widows of those who lost their lives by consuming the spurious medicine/ alcohol.
The State Government also decided to exempt 2 per cent of CST and reimbursement of 2 per cent of market fee on rice exported out of the State. In another decision, the Cabinet also approved a proposal of the Higher Education Department for enactment of legislation for establishment and regulation of functions of the Birla Global University, a private self finance university, for imparting education in Arts, Science, technical , professional and vocational education. The proposed university would be set up by the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata. The State Government has already allotted an area of 29.4 acres of land at Gothapatna on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar for the proposed university.
The Cabinet also allowed capital restructuring of the Odisha State Co-operative Marketing Federation limited (Markfed) through conversion of Government loans, both principal and interest, to the tune of Rs 205 crore as equity to enable the federation avail loan for expansion of its activities relating to farm sector.