Bhubaneswar, Oct 13 (IANS) The Odisha Cabinet on Tuesday approved 16 major proposals concerning 11 departments, including Revenue and Disaster Management (R&DM), Industries, Finance, Skill Development and Technical Education (SD&TE), and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, etc.
The proposals were approved at the 48th state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in Bhubaneswar.
Among the major proposals approved by the Cabinet was the introduction of the Dakshyata Vikas Yojana by the Skill Development and Technical Education (SD&TE) Department. The flagship skill development scheme, with an outlay of ₹450 crore for 2026-27 to 2028-29, aims to enhance the employability of Odisha’s youth and equip them with skills to tap emerging job opportunities in India and abroad.
Briefing the media persons about the new scheme, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said, “This scheme has been designed for the youth. Around 4.2 lakh youth of the state will benefit from it. It is a scheme with an outlay of Rs 450 crore. Its primary highlight is linking skill training with higher education.”
As per an official statement, under the scheme, Skill Hubs will be established in Higher Education Institutions across the state to offer placement-linked, NSQF-aligned courses to students alongside their academic programmes, enabling them to acquire industry-relevant skills and improve employability while pursuing higher education.
The state government expects the scheme to significantly expand overseas employment opportunities for Odisha’s youth, given the growing demand for skilled workers in international labour markets. The eligible students will be provided foreign language training in languages such as German and Japanese, along with cultural orientation, certification support, visa assistance, travel support and post-placement services.
“The scheme will provide placement-linked short-term training to 1.17 lakh youth and offer digital skilling to 3 lakh youth in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Cybersecurity. The scheme will also support targeted projects for vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, jail inmates, transgender persons and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups,” the official statement added.
The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Chief Minister Skill Development Fellowship, under which 40 Fellows will be deployed across districts to support demand assessment, assessing skill gap, industry partnerships, etc. A Skilled-in-Odisha Digital Hub will be established for end-to-end candidate tracking and monitoring of skilling outcomes.
Several other key proposals presented by other departments were also approved during the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
–IANS
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