The Odisha cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to commence direct flight operations to Dubai, Singapore, and Bangkok from Bhubaneswar.

Briefing mediapersons here, Odisha Chief Secretary S.C. Mohapatra said that IndiGo will start 186-seater direct flight operations from the Biju Patnaik International Airport to Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok.

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The state government will bear all the expenditure towards the direct flight operations from Bhubaneswar to the above-mentioned international destinations. In lieu, the revenue generation through ticketing will be retained by the Odisha government, he said.

“We hope the flight services will start in the next one or one-and-a-half months,” Mahapatra said.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved the Odisha MSME Development Policy 2022 which will replace the existing Odisha MSME Development Policy 2016.

For the development of agriculture, the state Cabinet has approved two schemes under which the government will spend more than Rs 1,500 crore to boost agricultural activities in the state.

The Cabinet has also approved a provision of Rs 1,142.24 crore for four years from 2022-23 to 2025-26 for the implementation of the state scheme – Development of Potato, Vegetable and Spices – with the involvement of women SHGs and farmer producer organisations (FPOs), Mahapatra said.

The scheme is being introduced with the objective to provide financial assistance to the farmers for the cultivation of potato, onions, hybrid vegetables, and spices in order to make the state self-sufficient in the production of five vegetables (potato, onion, tomato, cauliflower & cabbage) along with an increase in area and production under spices, he said.

Similarly, the state government has approved Rs 367.19 crore for five years from 2022-23 to 2026-27 for the implementation of another state sector scheme – ‘Empowerment of Women in Agriculture, Promotion of Entrepreneurship for Women SHG’.

The Cabinet has also approved the principles for one-time settlement (OTS) of arrears water rate dues of industries and commercial establishments.

Further, the state government has approved a tender of Rs 344.67 crore and operation and maintenance costs for five years amounting to Rs 3.42 crore for construction of in-stream storage structures across river Mahanadi at Choudhury Gada in Jagatsinghpur district and across river Paika at Tikhiri in Kendrapara district. The work is planned to be completed in 36 months.

Another tender worth Rs 357.92 crore has also been approved by the Cabinet for execution of mega piped water supply projects to provide safe drinking water to the people of Angul district.