Odisha Cabinet approves free textbooks and urban drainage schemes

The Odisha Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has approved several major initiatives, including a five-year scheme to provide free textbooks to approximately 28.7 lakh students. The program, which carries an estimated outlay of Rs 284.07 crore, targets students in classes 9 and 10 attending government and government-aided secondary schools. The initiative aims to reduce financial burdens on economically weaker families, improve school enrollment, and lower dropout rates.

In addition to education, the cabinet approved a Rs 500-crore program to improve urban drainage and mitigate flooding. To support the agricultural sector, a Rs 1,360-crore corpus fund was established for the Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (OSCMF) and the Odisha State Seeds Corporation Ltd (OSSC) for the period from 2026-27 to 2029-30. These interest-free revolving funds are intended to facilitate the procurement of agricultural inputs and ensure the timely payment of seed growers.

Furthermore, the government approved a Rs 176.83-crore project to establish a disaster recovery-cum-data centre at Dharanidhar University in Keonjhar. This facility will serve as a geographically separate backup for the Odisha State Data Centre in Bhubaneswar to ensure the continuity of digital services during cyber attacks or natural disasters.