Bhubaneswar, Nov 30 : The Board of Directors of Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) has approved 60 projects under different sectors amounting to more than Rs 18,000 crore from the total collection of Rs 20,700 crore till October 2023.
The 18 line departments have successfully utilised 72 percent of the released amount, which stands at Rs 10,868 crore.
This was disclosed at the 27th Board of Directors Meeting of Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC), held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary and Chairman OMBADC Pradeep Kumar Jena.
Official sources said the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, the School & Mass Education, Housing & Urban Development, Rural Development, Skill Development & Technical Education, and Farmers & Animal Resources Development have utilized more than 60 percent of the funds.
OMBADC, a Special Purpose Vehicle of the Odisha government, was incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 on December 2, 2014.
The major objective of the company is to undertake tribal welfare and area development works in the mineral-bearing areas of the state.
The OMBADC has completed the impact assessment of projects like housing and drinking water funded out of Adhoc CAMPA funds for eight mining districts, and the outcomes are very encouraging as the projects have served their purpose.
More than 28,000 pucca houses have been allocated to eligible beneficiaries. Similarly, 58,000 households in eight mining districts are being supplied with tap water.
Several Mega PWS projects approved in FY 2019 have completed 90 percent of the work and are expected to be commissioned by the end of FY 2024.
The MCH Hospital being constructed in Jajpur district is one of the flagship projects of OMBADC and is going to be completed soon. OMBADC is also working for women’s empowerment, and in collaboration with the Mission Shakti department, it has completed the Mission Shakti Bhawan in Jajpur. Substantial numbers of WSHGs are earning enhanced livelihoods through the showcasing and sale of their traditional products.
Several state-of-the-art ICUs and OTs have become functional in the mining district and provide advanced health services to the people in the mining districts.
Over 1300 secondary schools have been provided with advanced infrastructure and smart classrooms under the 5T initiative, and students are benefiting from the changes.