Bhubaneswar, Jul 22 (IANS): The budget session of the Odisha Assembly commenced on Monday with the inaugural address of Governor Raghubar Das.

The session will continue till September 13 with 27 working days.

The Governor in his speech highlighted the BJP government’s goal to create a Viksit Odisha by 2036, the centenary year of formation of Odisha as a separate state.

He stated that his government will give utmost priority to ‘krushak’, ‘shramik’, ‘janajati’, ‘yuvashakti’, ‘anna-daata’ and ‘naarishakti’ to ensure farmers thrive, youths find employment, and women are empowered in a developed Odisha.

“With abundant growth opportunity in various sectors, my government envisages Odisha to become the powerhouse of eastern India in industrial and infrastructure development, leveraging natural resources sustainably, improving education and skill development, boosting agricultural productivity, promoting tourism, implementing policy reforms, ensuring financial inclusion, investing in healthcare, and nurturing innovation and new age technology. The biggest thrust of my government would be the creation of employment opportunities for youth,” he asserted.

The Governor stated that the government will develop cold storage facilities, processing units, and efficient supply chains to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance the value of agricultural products.

He also noted that the Mandis will be upgraded with granaries, farmers' rest sheds, and warehouses, which will be connected to e-NAM. The women landless farmers will be encouraged to enrol in the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Large Area Multipurpose Societies (LAMPS).

He claimed that the BJP government will promote drip irrigation and that ten irrigation projects will be taken up in Balangir, Kalahandi, Bargarh, and Nuapada and completed on time. The PM-KUSUM scheme will be fully implemented to empower farmers with renewable energy solutions for microirrigation.

The Governor said that the fishing industry will be revolutionised through the modernisation of fishing harbours and landing centres, offering subsidies for cold warehouses and processing houses. The Odisha State Co-operative Milk Producers' Federation Limited (OMFED) will also be strengthened with the setting up of more Milk Collection Centres and Milk Chilling Centres to address challenges faced by dairy farmers.

He reiterated the BJP government’s poll promise about creating 25 lakh Lakhpati Didis in the state by 2027 with the establishment of industrial clusters for SHGs, and assistance in product marketing and promotion.

“My Government will enact a State-level Education Policy aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) ensuring swift progress toward holistic educational reforms. This includes providing legal, medical, and engineering courses in Odia,” said the Governor.

He noted that 800 government schools will be developed into PM-SHRI Schools, the flagship programme of the Narendra Modi government.

He also stated that 3000 new doctors will be appointed soon across the State to address the shortage of doctors. The Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) will be upgraded into Arogya Mandirs.

He made another major announcement during his address regarding the implementation of Ayushman Bharat Yojana in the state.

“My government is going to implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan AarogyaYojana (AB-PMJAY) in Odisha, which provides health assurance for all eligible Odisha residents ensuring critical financial protection and access to quality healthcare,” announced the Governor.

He also announced the introduction of a new sports policy with a focus on providing infrastructure for players starting from the village level to creating a support ecosystem and also asserted that a corpus fund will be set up for the establishment of Odia Asmita Bhawan, palm leaf manuscript museum, Odia Translation Academy, development of Paika Rebellion Memorial, e-library and Odia chair at national and international universities.

“My government will focus on labour-intensive and futuristic sectors of industry such as textiles, information technology, electronics, chemicals, petrochemicals, tourism and food processing,” he asserted.

He said the government will ensure the recruitment of 1.5 lakh vacant government posts in a fair and transparent manner, with 65,000 positions to be filled within the next two years. Priority will be given to vacancies for SC, ST, SEBC, PwD, Sports persons and ex-servicemen.

Reiterating the government's resolve to fulfil promises made during the recently held polls, the Governor also noted that his government took the decision about the opening of all four gates of Jagannath Temple in Puri, creation of a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore for the protection, maintenance and development of 12-century shrine, implementation of Samruddha Krushak Niti? in the State under which rate of paddy procurement in both Khariff and Rabi would be Rs 3100 per quintal, and implementation of Subhadra Yojana in its first Cabinet meeting.