Odisha Cabinet approves 'Swachha Odisha' scheme with outlay of Rs.1600 crore

Bhubaneswar (10/10/2025): The Odisha Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved 15 important proposals on Friday.

According to Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, the Cabinet approved the proposal for Framing of Odisha Employees State Insurance Scheme Laboratory Technician Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules,2025. A new cadre rule Odisha Employees State Insurance Scheme Laboratory Technician Service(Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service)Rules,2025 has been framed for proper regulation of the recruitment,promotion and conditions of service of the persons appointed to the "Odisha Employccs State Insurance Scheme Laboratory Technician Service"to serve in the ESI Hospitals and Dispensaries of the States. Promulgation of the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment)Ordinance,2025 also got approval of the Cabinet. In order to reduce compliance burden on small businesses, to provide iupetus to entrepreneurs for creating more economic activities in the state, to expand employment opportunities and improve the Ease of Doing Business in the state, the Cabinet in its 27h meeting held on 29.09.2025 has approved the proposals for amendment in the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments Act,1956. It is now considered expedient and felt necessary to implement the proposed amendments in the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments Act,1956 by way of an Ordinance.As the State Legislative Assembly is not in session and the circumstances exist which render it necessary for promulgation of an Ordinance under Article 213 of the Constitution of India,the Cabinet has approved the proposal of promulgation of the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments(Amendment) Ordinance,2025.

The proposed Ordinance,after its promulgation,shall be replaced by an Act of the State Legislature in due course. The proposed Ordinance shall cover the following amendments in the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments Act,1956:- 1.Provisions of the Odisha Shops and Commercial Establishments Act,1956 shall be applicable to such Shops and Commercial Establishments in the State which engage 20 or more employees.However,all the Shops and Commercial Establishments shall be required to display Odia signboard irrcspective of the number of employees employed by them; 2.Increase in daily working hours from 9 hours to 10 hours.However,weekly working hours is limited to 48 hours(forty-eight hours per week),as already existing in the Act; 3.The work shift of an employee in an establishment shall not exceed six continuous hours without an interval for rest of at least half an hour; 4.Increase in overtime work limit from 50 hours to 144 hours during a period of three months. Another proposal of the Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department approved by the Cabinet stated that Kharif Marketing Season(KMS)2025-26 will commence from 1st October,2025 and conclude on 30th September,2026.

State government will procure paddy during Kharif and Rabi seasons separately within the KMS.

Paddy will be procured from registered farmers on payment of Minimum Support Price(MSP). The procured paddy will be milled by Custom Millers engaged for the purpose.The rice so obtained will be utilised in State's Public Distribution System(PDS)under National Food Security Act,State Food Security Scheme &Other Welfare Schemes and the surplus rice will be delivered to Central Pool through the Food Corporation of India(FCI)for utilisalion in deflclt states. The Cabinet has approved the Food and Procurement Policy for KMS 2025-26 to regulate all aspects of paddy and rice procurement.

A tentative target of 63 lakh Metric Tonne(LMT)in terms of rice has been fixed for KMS 2025-26.

The State Cabinet gave its approval for the new State sector scheme “Swachha Odisha”with an outlay of Rs.1600 crore for five years (FY 2025-26 to FY 2029-30).

In the current scenario,multiple state programmes are being implemented in the sanitation sector,focusing broadly on Solid Waste Management and Liquid Waste Management.To enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these efforts, existing State Plans such as Solid Waste Management,Used Water Management, and Urban Septage Systems are being restructured.This restructuring will be achieved through convergence and merger under a new integrated framework namely “Swachha Odisha.” The introduction of “Swachha Odisha”aims to simplify procedures related to project implementation,funding and monitoring by consolidating various sanitation initiatives into a unified scheme. “Swachha Odisha”embodies the Government's commitment to making Cities clean and free of waste.It will support Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) by bridging funding gaps and aiming for comprchensive saturation across all urban sanitation verticals.The scheme will also complement the ongoing Swachh Bharat initiative,thereby further strengthening the desired outcomes in urban cleanliness and sanitation. Accordingly,the Cabinet has approved the "Swachha Odisha" scheme with an outlay of Rs.1600 crore,to be implemented over a period of five-years from FY 2025-26 to FY 2029-30. To give opportunities to more experienced candidates as well as to the candidates who debarred from government service earlier, the state government decided to amend the Orissa District and Civil Courts'Judicial Staff Services (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules,2008. The state government has decided to construct In-stream Storage Structure (ISS- 2.0)”.

Conservation of surface water and augmenting storage capacity are essential to meet the ever-increasing demand for water in the state. Surface water flow in majority of rivers in the state is almost nil or meagre during non-monsoon period. Meanwhile, rapid urbanization, population, growth, industrialization and increasing domestic & drinking water needs have further intensified the demand for water. In the present scenario,it is extremely difficult to take up large reservoir projects for water conservation due to land acquisition, rehabilitation, resettlement and forest clearance issues.

To address these issues in a sustainable manner,the state government had launched a scheme"Construction of In- stream Storage Structures(ISS)"to create large water bodies within the river embankment without causing any displacement of people. The State Cabinet approved the extension of the scheme “Construction of In stream Storage structures (ISS-2.0)” for a further period of 5 years i.e.from FY 2025-26 to 2029-30 with an outlay of Rs.19941 crore out of state's own resources. The storage structures will help in minimizing the seasonal variation of the groundwater and enhancing the water availability to the nearby localities.

The stored water can be utilized to cater the needs of drinking and domestic requirement, fishery development, livestock farming,irrigation, industrial water demands and recreational purposes. The storage structures will also help in addressing the climate change issues and flood management & protection by delaying the medium sizes flood peaks by partial routing. Besides, framing of Odisha Registration of Birth and Death (Amendment) Rules, 2025 has been approved to implement the different provisions of the Registration of Birth & Death (amendment) Act,2023 passed by Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India and to regulate the birth and death registration along with issuance of birth and death certificates in Odisha. The Health and Family Welfare Department propose to frame the Odlisha Registration of Birth and Death(Amendment)Rules, 2025. The registration of birth and death in Odisha is being done presently as per the existing "Odisha Registration of Birth and Death Rules,2001".

This rule had been framed on the basis of the Registration of Birth and Death Act,1969 passed by the Registrar General of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Government of India has brought an amendment to the Registration of Birth and Death Act,1969 and passed the Registration of Birth and Death (Amendment)Act,2023.

In order to implement the different provisions of the Registration of Birth and Death(Amendment)Act,2023, the Odisha Registration of Birth and Death(Amendment)Rules, 2025 need to be framed. All the births, deaths, still births occurring in the state will be registered in accordance to the Odisha Registration of Birth and Death(Amendment) Rules, 2025.

Birth certificates and death certiticates will be issued in the state in accordance to the proposed Odisha Registration of Birth & Death Rule, 2025.