Odisha to distribute nearly 80,000 smartphones to anganwadi workers

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to distribute nearly 80,000 smartphones to anganwadi workers for effective monitoring of the nutritional status of mothers and children, officials said on Sunday.

A total of 93 crore will be spent on the project, they said.

These devices will enable efficient tracking and management of several POSHAN Abhiyaan activities, including beneficiary registration, daily data entry, monitoring of supplementary nutrition distribution, growth measurement, and pre-school education, they said, adding that the decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet on Saturday night.


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The government also approved Mukhyamantri Hastatanta Bikasha Yojana (MHBY), a new scheme for the holistic development of the handloom sector in the state.

A total of Rs 589.10 crore would be spent on the project over five years, officials said.

The state government has also approved a comprehensive flood management scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,781 crore, to be funded entirely from the state's own resources during the period 2025-26 to 2029-30, they said.

The scheme, on implementation, will minimise flood damage during emergencies and protect human lives, villages and agricultural land. Besides, it will promote sustainable flood management practices and increase public sensitisation and preparedness, they added.

The Odisha government also decided to terminate the agreement with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project. However, the state will bear the expenditure of Rs 273.51 crore incurred on the project till December 2025, officials said.

Similarly, the government has also decided to redevelop the state-run Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla, at an estimated cost of Rs 926.96 crore, they said.

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The state also decided to revive Badamba Cooperative Sugar Industries Ltd under the provisions of the special support mechanism in the Industrial Policy Resolution, 2022.

To mitigate potential financial losses and ensure effective stock management, the government has decided to dispose of 1 lakh metric tons of the surplus rice through auction sale in the open market, officials said.

Any financial loss arising from the auction will be borne by the state government, they said.