Odisha govt to spent Rs 345 crore for development of native places of 'Baraputras'

Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 (PTI) The Odisha government on Wednesday approved a scheme to develop the birthplaces of the state's great sons and daughters, including freedom fighters, poets, social reformers and other eminent personalities in different fields, who are collectively known as 'Baraputras' locally, at a cost of Rs 345 crore.

The cabinet of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, in all, approved 10 proposals of seven departments during its meeting held this evening.

Briefing reporters, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said the cabinet has approved the 'Baraputra Aitihya Gram Yojana', under which the residences and native villages of the great personalities will be redeveloped.

The residential houses of the 'Baraputras' will be developed and conserved as heritage museums, while supporting infrastructure such as interpretation centre, library, conference hall, open-air theatre and children's parks will be created, he said.

Statues and memorials commemorating the 'Baraputras' will be established. To promote local livelihoods, dedicated outlets for the sale of locally renowned cuisine, handicrafts and handloom products will also be set up, Ahuja said.

"This integrated approach aims to preserve heritage, foster cultural awareness and catalyse sustainable local development," he added.

In the first phase of the scheme, 25 eminent sons of Odisha have been identified for development. Financial assistance of up to Rs 15 crore per birthplace will be provided. Accordingly, the total estimated expenditure for the first phase will be Rs 345 crore, the chief secretary said.

The cabinet also approved the proposal of promulgation of an ordinance for uniform reservation for teachers' recruitment across public universities of the state.

The new rule aims at establishing a uniform reservation framework for direct recruitment of teachers in all state public universities of Odisha, Ahuja said.

He said the government decided to treat the university as a single unit for implementing reservation in the recruitment of professors, associate professors, and assistant professors.

This will replace the current department-wise reservation system and ensure a more consistent and equitable process, he added.

The state government also approved three irrigation projects worth Rs 534 crore for 176 villages of Jharsuguda district and Karlamunda, Narla and Kesinga blocks of Kalahandi district. The projects are targeted to be completed within three years.

The cabinet has also approved another scheme -- Utkarsh ITI Yojana -- for upgradation of five government-run ITIs in Puri, Bolangir, Koraput, Kendrapara, Sundargarh districts with an outlay of Rs 500 crore for three years, Ahuja said.

Besides, the Odisha government has decided to bear around Rs 735 crore cost towards one year's rent on installation of smart meters in the houses of domestic consumers of the state. PTI BBM BBM ACD