Bhubaneswar, Oct 19 (PTI) The Odisha cabinet on Thursday decided to launch a programme under the crop diversification initiative to enhance the production and productivity of maize and improve the value chain of its marketing.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said the cabinet led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made a provision of Rs 481.94 crore for the crop diversification scheme for five years.
The scheme - Mukhyamantri Maka Mission (MMM) - will be implemented in a "more scientific and progressive way" which now envisages ease of doing for enhancement of area, production, and productivity of pulses, oilseeds, fibre crops (cotton and jute) and maize, he said.
It will provide ample scope for employment generation in rural areas and augmentation of farmers' income in the state, Jena said.
The state government decided to enhance the corpus fund for procurement and prepositioning of fertilisers from Rs 90 crore to Rs 150 crore, he said.
The cabinet also recommended the inclusion of the Mundari language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India.
It was decided that three new separate directorates of museum, archaeology and public libraries would be created under the Odia Language, Literature & Culture Department.
The Odisha government also decided to sign an MoU with Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (SVKM) for the establishment of a campus of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) University in Bhubaneswar.
The proposed varsity will act as a "learning centre that fosters national and global engagement in the field of education", the chief secretary said.
This will be beneficial for the Odisha domicile students as SVKM commits to admit 30 per cent of its students from the state on merit, he said.
The state will provide 40 acres of land on lease in Goudakashipur, Jatni, for the establishment of the university, he stated.
Health Minister Niranjan Pujari said the cabinet approved the proposed bill for amendment of the Odisha Land Reforms Act, 1960.
The amendment will be made to confer ‘raiyati', rights to the sub-tenants/successor-in-interests who are in possession of land recorded as ‘Sikkim’ (a category of land), he said.
About three lakh farmers in 18 districts will be benefited from the move, the minister said.
The cabinet gave its nod to the tenders of about Rs 1,867 crore, including maintenance costs for 15 years, for the execution of four irrigation projects in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Nabarangpur, Angul, and Dhenkanal districts.
Among others, the proposals of Revenue & Disaster Management, Commerce & Transport, and Higher Education departments were green-lighted by the cabinet.