Bhubaneswar: Members of all parties actively participated in the Question Hour in Odisha Assembly here Saturday. It was the fourth day of the Monsoon Session. The first three days of the Monsoon Session saw vociferous protests over the Mahanga double murder case and the drought-like situation in a large number of Odisha districts.
The first three days of the Monsoon Session were washed away because of the ruckus created by the opposition BJP and Congress members. They demanded the resignation of Law minister Pratap Jena for his alleged involvement in a double murder case at Mahanga in Cuttack district. They also demanded declaration of the whole state as drought hit due to scanty rainfall in the peak monsoon season.
However, the members on Saturday participated in the proceeding following an all-party meeting convened Friday by Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro. The Opposition members issues will be taken up at appropriate time, one of the members attending the all party meeting said.
During the Question Hour, the House was informed that the state government was planning to set up 24 new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Working Women’s Hostel in five districts.
Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Premananda Nayak mentioned this while replying to a question. He said that there are 49 government and 448 private ITI across the state. As the government is focusing on the skill development of youths, plans are made to set up new ITIs in order to impart training for making them employable, Nayak said.
Congress member Suresh Routray said that the local industries are not employing Odisha’s trained manpower. They are hiring technical persons from other states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and others. He urged the government to make it mandatory for industries to employ trained local youths.
Replying to another question, Science and Technology Minister Ashok Chandra Panda informed that Science Centre will be established in all 30 districts. “Teachers dealing with the subject will be sent to Bangalore for training. The department has decided to send a group of Science teachers to Bangalore September 24 for the training in first phase,” Panda informed.
In another reply, Women and Child Development and Mission Shakti Minister Tukuni Sahu informed the House that the districts like Sundargarh, Jajpur, Khurda, Berhampur (Ganjam) and Rayagada will soon have a 100-bed working women’s hostel. “The collectors of these districts have been asked to identify land for the purpose. The construction work will begin once the locations are identified,” she said.
The minister further said that the working women, whose monthly salary is less than Rs 35,000, will be given priority to stay in these hostels. The collectors will form a committee to manage these hostels, she added.
This apart, Sahu said a proposal has been sought from all district collectors for construction of 300-bed hostels in 11 industrial areas under a Central scheme. While there are hostels for working women at four locations including Buxi Bazar and Bajrakabati Road in Cuttack, more hostels will come up in the town in view of requirement, she said.