BHUBANESWAR : The state cabinet on Friday approved a new state sector scheme ‘Swachha Odisha’ with an outlay of Rs 1,600 crore for five years to bring all the sanitation efforts of the government under one umbrella for enhancing efficiency and effectiveness.
The cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved the scheme which will be implemented from 2025-26 to 2029-30. Chief secretary Manoj Ahuja told mediapersons that at present multiple state programmes are being implemented in the sanitation sector broadly focusing on solid and liquid waste management.
The existing state plans such as solid waste management, used water management and urban septage systems are being restructured and will be brought under a new integrated framework.
The chief secretary said the new scheme 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 make the cities clean and free of waste. It will support urban local bodies (ULBs) by bridging funding gaps. Besides, the scheme will also complement the ongoing Swachh Bharat initiative, further strengthening the desired outcomes in urban cleanliness and sanitation,” he added.
The cabinet also approved the food procurement policy for the 2025-26 kharif marketing season to procure 93 lakh tonnes of paddy. The chief secretary said paddy for the kharif season will be procured from November 2025 to March 2026. Similarly, paddy for the rabi crop season will be procured from May to June 2026. Districts will schedule their procurement periods within these broad timelines, he said.
Ahuja said a cabinet sub-committee will review the implementation of the policy and modify the overall target if, the need arises. He, however, said all paddy brought to the mandis by registered farmers will be procured even if beyond target. All registered and eligible farmers will be intimated in advance by way of SMS/WhatsApp messages on their mobile phones regarding date of sale of paddy and quantity to be sold, he added.
He said that paddy to be procured must conform to FAQ specifications as declared by the Centre. Similarly, rice to be delivered by custom millers must also conform to FAQ norms. Purchase of FAQ paddy at prices below minimum support price will be punishable under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, he added.
