The Odisha government approved free textbooks for around 28.7 lakh students of classes 9 and 10 in government and government-aided schools, alongside a ₹500-crore urban drainage programme.
The textbook scheme will remain in force for five years from 2025-26 to 2029-30 with an estimated outlay of ₹284.07 crore, following controversies over errors in departmental textbooks.
The Cabinet also approved a ₹176-crore disaster recovery-cum-data centre in Keonjhar and a ₹105-crore in-stream water storage project on the Tel river in Bolangir.