The 49th Odisha Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, has concluded with the approval of 13 proposals from 10 different departments. Among the key decisions are the approval of the Food and Paddy Procurement Policy for the Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2026-27 and the rollout of free high-speed Wi-Fi facilities in government and aided colleges across the state.

Under the newly approved paddy procurement policy, the Odisha Government has set a target of procuring 78 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of paddy during the current Kharif Marketing Season.

Farmers will receive a total of Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy, including the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and input assistance. To ensure transparency and timely payments, the amount will be transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts through Aadhaar and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) within 24 to 48 hours.

The procurement process will remain operational from November 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. The policy aims to ensure transparent paddy procurement at MSP, timely payments to farmers and uninterrupted rice supply for the Public Distribution System (PDS).

Free Wi-Fi in 601 Government and Aided Colleges

In another major decision, the Cabinet approved the implementation of the flagship scheme ‘Odisha Shikshanet – Empowering Students through Free Wi-Fi Internet Access to All Colleges and Universities’.

The scheme will provide free, secure and high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity to 601 government and aided colleges across Odisha. The expansion follows the successful implementation of the initiative in the first phase across 130 colleges.

Under the scheme, every authenticated student will receive up to 1 GB of free internet data per day within the campus for academic activities, research and skill development.

The state government has approved an estimated expenditure of Rs 393.62 crore for the three-year period from the financial year 2026-27 to 2028-29.

The project will cover the installation of Wi-Fi infrastructure, bandwidth arrangements, network management, cybersecurity, operations and maintenance support. A centralised monitoring dashboard will also be established to ensure efficient service delivery, network security, uptime and optimal utilisation.

Over 6 Lakh Students and Faculty Members to Benefit

The free Wi-Fi initiative is expected to benefit more than six lakh students and faculty members in government and aided higher education institutions across Odisha.

The facility will provide access to e-books, digital libraries, virtual classrooms, SWAYAM and other Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), research databases, competitive examination resources and digital skill development platforms.

It will also facilitate access to e-governance services, including the Student Academic Management System (SAMS), Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and scholarship portals.

The initiative is expected to particularly benefit students from rural, remote and economically weaker sections by bridging the digital divide and improving access to quality higher education.

Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Digital India, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 9 and 10, and Odisha Vision 2036, the scheme aims to strengthen the state’s digital higher education ecosystem.

The government expects the initiative to play a significant role in building a digitally empowered education system and contributing towards the vision of Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat.

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