Odisha Cabinet approves 'New City Development' scheme for Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar (10/09/2025): The Odisha State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday gave its in-principle approval to the“New City Development" scheme.

The scheme proposes the creation of a modern and inclusive urban hub within the Bhubaneswar Development Plan Area(BDPA).

The project wil cover approximately 800 acres of land across the mouzas of Gothapatna, Malipada, and Daspur,and is envisioned as a mull-economic growth zone aligned with the state's long- term development vision,"Vikshit Odisha 2036." The New City is planned as a transit-oriented development,focusing on efficient public transport,reduced travel distances,and seamless access to a well-integrated mix of land uses.It aims to ensure "Housing for All" by offering diverse housing options for all income groups based on affordability and necessity. The city will feature state-of-the-art facilities, innovation-based plug-and-play hubs,and data management centers.

Special emphasis will be placed on creative place making,with the design of central forest parks,gateway plazas,and ample public open spaces to foster community engagement and meet the social needs of residents. The project will also integrate smart and green infrastructure solutions to enhance climate resilience,environmental sustainability, and the overall well-being of citizens.

The Bhubaneswar Developmént Authority (BDA) has been designated as the nodal agency for implementing the scheme, which is currently in various stages of planning and early execution. The Cabinet approved procurement of 428 numbers of Ambulances. Emergency Medical Ambulance Service (EMAS)of Odisha, a joint initiative of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,Government of India & Government of Odisha(under the banner of "National Ambulance Service") has been initiated since sth March, 2013.

Its an ongoing scheme and under this, the state has made provision for comprehensive pre-hospital emergency medical service by introducing a fleet of ambulances (EMAS)at free of cost for the people of Odisha.

EMAS-108 service is being managed and monitored through a single 24X7 Centralized Integrated 150 seated Call Center. This scheme is heing implemented with an ostimated yearly @11-12 lakhs Emergency patients /Cases (including Pregnant Women &children)of the state, to be shifted by Ambulances(EMAS-108)to the designated Public health facilities within the response time ot 20 minutes.

Current fleet size of EMAS-108 in the state is 866(411:ALS,449:BLS & 6:Boat ambulances). Out of 860 road EMAS Ambulances,421 Ambulances are required to be replaced as they are more than 5 years old and have run morc than 2,50,000 kms. For better service delivery in terms of reduction in ambulance repair & maintenance time and improved response time, these ambulances need immediate replacement and 2 ALS Ambulances are to be procured for deployment at Cardiac Care Hospital, Jharsuguda.

Besides,5 ALS Ambulances are to be procured for use in Airports/Airstrips.For the above purpose,a sum of Rs.118.98 crore is required, out of which Rs.118.06 crore will be met from State Budget and Rs.0.92 crore will be met from funds to be provided by MCL. Government of Odisha in its Cabinet meeting held today have been pleased to approve tor procurement of 428 Ambulances by NHM, Odisha. This apart, framing of the Odisha payment of recruitment examination fees and refund Rules, 2025 was approved by the Cabinet. Currently, no examination fee is charged for candidates appearing in recruitment examinations conducted by the recruiting agency.

As a result, significant number of applications are being received and a high percentage of absenteeism are also observed during the examinations.This has resulted in increased administrative burden, higher costs of conducting exams,and wastage of public resources. In a bid to improve the quality of applications and reduce the number of non-serious candidates and to ensure that only genuinely interested and qualified candidates apply for the recruitment, the government has decided that all candidates except Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)category applying for recruitment cxaminations will now be required to pay an examination fee as may be decided by the recruiting agencies.

However,this fee shall be refunded in full to candidates who actually appear in the examination by the recruiting agency. Besides, the state government announced a One Time Settlement (OTS)Scheme for e-Challans as of July 31,2025 pending at RTO level under certain sections of Motor Vehicle(MV )Act.This initiative provides a one-time opportunity for violators to close their chalans by paying a reduced fine amount.The scheme offers a compassionate yet firm approach for encouraging compliance,with the reduction in fines applicable under the Motor Vehicle Act. The primary objectives of this scheme are to recover outstanding fines efficiently and to promote road safety by encouraging violators to adopt safer driving habits.It is important to note that this is a limited opportunity; as the violators can pay at a reduced amount,whereas post the scheme's validity the violators will pay as prescribed in the M.V.Act. Further, various transactions would not be allowed as per the M.V.Act for these vehicles with pending challans. The Transport Department will oversee the implementation of this scheme and continue to strengthen enforcement measures against repeat violators and those unwilling to improve their conduct on roads.The Department will ensure implementation of all the provisions of MV Act very strictly enhancing road safety. A committee under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary to Government, Law Department will be constituted to look into the challans already sent to court and to take appropriate decision on disposal of such cases. The OTS scheme will be in effect for six months from the date of issuance of the notification. After this Cabinet decision, the financial power of Block Development Officers (BDOs)to pass bills of Panchayat Samiti works has been raised from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10.00 lakh without further countersignature of the Chairman of the concerned Panchayat Samiti.

Further, the authority to accord administrative approval of plans and estimates for Panchayat Samiti projects has also been delegated to the CDO-cum- EO,Zilla Parishad, to expedite financial approvals and ensure smooth implementation of developmental schemes. After this Cabinet decision,the financial powers of officers for both technical sanction and administrative approval of developmental works have been enhanced. For general developmental schemes(except MGNREGA),Junior/Assistant Engineers will now accord technical sanction up to 5 lakh,while Assistant Executive Engineers have been empowered from 5 lakh up to Rs 20 lakh. Executive Engineers will sanction projects from Rs 20 lakh up to Rs 1 crore, Superintending Engineers from Rs 1 crore up to Rs 4 crore,and projects above Rs 4 crore will be sanctioned by the Chief Engineer. For developmental works under MGNREGA Scheme,Junior/Assistant Engineers/Gram Panchayat Technical Assistants will now accord technical sanction up to Rs 5 lakh,while Assistant Executive Engineers have been empowered from Rs 5 lakh up to Rs 20 lakh. Executive Engineers/Additional Executive Officers(Technical)will sanction projects from Rs 20 lakh up to Rs 1 crore, Superintending Engineers from Rs 1 crore up to 4 crore,and projects above Rs 4 crore will be sanctioned by the Chief Engineer. Similarly,for general developmental schemes,the administrative approval powers have also been revised.Block Development Officers can now approve projects up to Rs 20 lakh,and Panchayat Samiti Chairman up to Rs 50 lakh and the CDO-cum-EOs of Zilla Parishads will now exercise approval powers for projects above Rs 50 lakh. Further, for developmental works under MGNREGA Scheme,the administrative approval powers have also been revised.

For MGNREGA,Block Development Officers can now approve projects up to Rs 20 lakh,and Panchayat Samiti Chairman up to Rs 50 lakh and the Collectors will now exercise approval powers for projects above Rs 50 lakh. These amendments will expedite bill processing, ensure timely approvals,and facilitate smooth implementation of developmental programmes across all Panchayat Samitis while retaining the supervisory role of the Chairman.