The Budget session of Odisha Assembly began on Monday with Odisha Governor Raghubar Das’ address. Governor Das highlighted the achievements of the state government and congratulated it for dedicating the Puri Heritage Corridor Project and the Samaleswari project for the benefit of lakhs of devotees.
While addressing the House, Das said that the Puri Heritage Corridor project will enhance the facilities for devotees visiting the Jagannath temple. The project will also contribute towards better security measures for the protection of the Srimandir. According to the Governor, the ongoing works for the development of Lingaraj temple under the Ekramra project is going on at war footing.
The Odisha Governor said that the overall law and order situation in the state is stable and peaceful. Due to constant efforts, there has been a considerable decline in left-wing extremism. 42 Maoists have been killed in police action while 145 extremists have been arrested and 63 rebels have laid down arms in the state.
Tourism Sector, KALIA Scheme to Interest-free Loan to MARKFED
According to Odisha Governor, the state government has tagged tourism as ‘focus sector’. A master plan has been prepared for the development of 15 prominent tourist sites at an estimated cost of Rs 1768 crore. Rs 244 crore has been sanctioned for the development of tourist infrastructure at 136 sites after getting proposals from the public.
The Odisha Governor also lauded the state government for its initiatives for improving the infrastructure in rural areas under the Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha. He also hailed the Nua-0 programme aimed at empowering the youth, social and cultural development.
“The Odisha government through its KALIA scheme has been able to extend financial assistance to the farmers since 2018. The scheme aims at agricultural development and reducing poverty. Assistance has been provided to around 43.88 lakh small and marginal and 18.93 lakh landless farmers’ families in the state,” said Das in his address.
According to Das, the Odisha government has set up a corpus fund to provide Rs 100 crore interest-free loans every year to MARKFED to protect the interest of the farmers from distress situations.