The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court has advised for allocation of more funds for skill development as unemployment is a major issue in rural areas of the State.

The Oversight Authority of the Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) has been advised to take up more skill development programmes in diverse fields.

The CEC team, which recently visited the mineral bearing areas of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar, has said in its report that while the on-going programmes on skill development have been scientifically planned, the allocation for livelihood promotion appears to be proportionally small.

So more programmes on skill development in diverse fields need to be taken and share of funds for the sector may also be increased, it said.

Similarly, the CEC has also advised the OMBADC to be more proactive keeping in view of improving standard of service. The Oversight Committee of OMBADC has approved Rs11,806.50 crore out of Rs 16,562.27 crore funds available with it in the second phase.

While in first phase, the OMBADC has spent Rs 822.50 crore against an allocation of Rs 869.42 crore from Ad Hoc CAMPA.

About 89 per cent of funds is being utilised for three sectors, drinking water, health and education. While major funds are spent in drinking water, health and education sector, the standard of service is needed to be improved, the CEC suggested.

The OMBADC is needed to lay down basic standards of service to be made available to the general public. Health sector service will have to be planned with reference to the primary health centre, block and district level hospitals and similar standard of service will have to be thought of for the other sectors, including education.

The CEC has observed that the OMBADC projects are being implemented through the concerned line departments of the State Government and are mainly intended to augment the existing Government programme.

Often the OMBADC projects overlap both in terms of the location of the projects and their components because the OMBADC substituting for the State Government is basically extending financial support for schemes, which earlier were funded from the State Budget.

So far as the drinking water projects are concerned, an institutional mechanism is needed to prevent wastage of water from leaking pipes. The CEC team observed that drinking water taps and pipes were seen leaking at various places. Local panchayats could be entrusted with maintenance of water supply system at villages, advised the CEC. Treatment of the catchment areas of the rivers is an absolute must to augment recharge of ground water, it said.

Water conservation and ground water recharge and soil and moisture conservation works need to be undertaken and more allocation is needed for arresting soil erosion on forest floors, pointed out the CEC.