Odisha changes Municipal act to remove secret ballot provision

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Thursday approved the changes proposed in the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act to remove the provision of secret ballot for voting during no-confidence motion.

"There will be an open ballot in place of secret ballot. We have not mentioned it as open ballot but it will be prescribed in the rules as parties are unable to know if their members are obeying the party whip or not," said Chief Secretary, Aditya Prasad Padhi.

Various other proposals got the Cabinet nod today including Rs 15 crore loan to Aska Co-operative Sugar Industries and proposal for setting up a Milk Production Unit with a daily production capacity of 5 lakh litres in Barang.

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the proposal to segregate the Tourism & Culture Department and rename the Culture wing as Odia Language, Literature and Culture department. The amendments made to Odisha Jail Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2012 also got the Cabinet nod.

The cabinet also approved 5 water supply projects worth Rs 370 crore to provide purified water to 217 fluoride-affected villages of Nuapada district and underground pipeline (UGPL) irrigation system worth Rs 243 crore in lower Indra to facilitate irrigation of 13,800 hectares in Nuapada and Bolangir districts.

"You may be aware that there are 905 villages in Nuapada district where the water supply is affected due to fluoride contamination and as a temporary measure the government has installed filters in the bore-wells there. Regular piped-water supply will be provided to the villages through the present water supply scheme," added Padhi.