Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the 16th Finance Commission’s scheduled visit to Odisha, the state government Wednesday decided to submit a demand of Rs 12,56,148 crore for the next five years.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi made the announcement after the proposal was approved at the Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet also passed nine other proposals across various departments, including school and mass education, higher education, energy, law, industries, E&IT, agriculture, panchayati raj, drinking water, and health and family welfare.
Briefing reporters, Majhi said the 16th Finance Commission is scheduled to visit the state for three days from February 5. “During the Finance Commission’s visit, the state will place a demand for Rs 12,56,148 crore for next five years from 2026 to 2031,” he said.
Key cabinet approvals include the decision to offer a customised incentive package of 50 per cent for RIR Power Electronics Limited (RIR), which plans to establish India’s first Silicon Carbide (SiC) semiconductor manufacturing facility in Bhubaneswar.
The project, with a total investment of Rs 618.60 crore, is set to be implemented in two phases. The groundbreaking ceremony for the facility took place September 7, 2024, at the Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) Park in Infovalley, Bhubaneswar. The facility will focus on SiC-based devices for electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy, railways, and defence, and is expected to generate 750 jobs.
The CM also announced the decision to establish Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalayas (model schools) in all 6,794 gram panchayats across the state at an investment of Rs 11,939.41 crore over five years (2024-2029). Depending on student enrollment, Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore will be allocated for each school. Additionally, all high schools will be upgraded under the Adarsha Vidyalaya Yojana.
Rejecting the previous BJD government’s 5T model for school transformation, Majhi pointed out that no detailed project report (DPR) or estimate had been prepared for school development.
“It was like playing with the future of students,” he said. Work on 114 such schools will begin this year, with the remaining to be completed over the next four years.
Majhi also announced the introduction of the ‘Financial Assistance to Cold Storages’ scheme, aimed at strengthening cold storage facilities and infrastructure.
The goal is to establish at least one cold storage in each of the 58 sub-divisions of the state, encouraging private entrepreneurs to set up cold storage facilities in uncovered and economically viable areas. This will help improve farmers’ income by providing better market opportunities, value addition, and post-harvest loss prevention.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the ‘Bikashita Gaon, Bikashita Odisha’ scheme, with a five-year budget of Rs 5,000 crore. This year, Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for improving village infrastructure under the scheme.
PTI
