Year-long celebration to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s maiden Odisha visit 

School syllabus to include chapters on great sons of the soil
Mahatma Gandhi (File Photo)
Mahatma Gandhi (File Photo)

BHUBANESWAR: The State government has decided to organise a year-long grand celebrations from March 23, 2021 to mark the first visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Odisha.A proposal to this effect was approved at the meeting of the State Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday. Stating that Mahatma Gandhi is the eternal source of inspiration to all, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari said he visited Odisha eight times during the period between 1921 and 1946. Mahatma arrived in Odisha for the first time on March 23, 1921 and had addressed a historic gathering on the river bed of Kathajodi in Cuttack. 

Besides, the Cabinet also approved major decision to protect the culture, heritage and tradition of Odisha. The Finance Minister said the entire history of our glorious heritage and the life history of the great sons of Odisha from ancient times till the modern age will find place in text books and additional text books. These topics will be selected by a special process for Class 7, 8 and 9 and winning students of various competitions on these topics will be awarded, and provided annual scholarships. A committee of eminent persons and educationists will be formed for this, he said and added that appropriate steps will be taken for introduction of their life and works in the text books after suitable considerations.

In yet another decision, the Cabinet gave the green signal to repeal 206 Acts as they have become redundant. Most of these Acts were amending legislations and after they had come into force, the amendments sought to be made by them were incorporated in the respective principal Acts. Some Acts were enacted for a particular purpose as one time measures which after coming into force had no relevance.

The State Law Commission in its report on December 21, 2020 had recommended to repeal these 206 Acts as they had become redundant. The Cabinet decided to take steps for enactment of the Odisha Repealing Bill, 2020 which will repeal all such Acts enacted between 1974 and 2016.

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