BHUBANESWAR: A crucial meeting of the State Cabinet is likely to be held on Monday in which several important decisions including measures for farmers may be taken. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will preside over the meeting through video conference from Naveen Nivas.
Sources said this will be the last Cabinet meeting before next year in which some decisions are likely to be taken for 2021. In the recently held State Council meeting of the ruling BJD, several resolutions were adopted which needed government intervention for their implementation. Some of the resolutions may be approved at the meeting.
The Chief Minister had approved a resolution adopted at the Council meeting to provide reservation for students from the government schools in State medical and engineering colleges. The Council had also adopted a resolution demanding backward class survey which Naveen said will be a milestone in ensuring social justice. Several resolutions were also adopted on women empowerment at the meeting.
The Cabinet is also likely to approve the proposal of Cooperation department on an ordinance on Odisha Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation), 2020 to replace the decades old Odisha Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1956. The government had earlier sent the proposal for promulgation of the ordinance to the Governor for approval.
In order to provide better marketing facilities to farmers, the Centre had released the model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017 in April 2017 for its adoption by states and Union Territories. The provisions in the Act provide alternate marketing channels other than APMCs to farmers in marketing their produce at competitive and remunerative prices.