Bhubaneswar: In a bid to set up an effective administrative system, the State Cabinet here on Wednesday cleared proposal for the merger of four separate departments and renaming of one.
Official sources said, the Mission Shakti programme run by the State government for economic upliftment of poor women in rural Odisha was merged with Women and Child Development (WCD) department. It has been rechristened as WCD & Mission Shakti department.
The main aim behind such a move is to empower more women in the social and economic sectors, an official stated. A new directorate will be created to run the department, officials added.
Similarly, the Cabinet approved to change the name of Panchayati Raj department to Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water department. The sources added, the new department, along with the previous responsibilities, will be able to effectively handle the water scarcity issues across the State.
Besides, the Cabinet gave its go ahead for the merger of General Administration department and Grievance Cell to create Grievance and Pension Administration department.
The Cabinet chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik also approved to provide 200 acre land at concessional rate to Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER) to be set up in Berhampur.