Odisha cabinet approves extension of sponsorship for Indian hockey team for another 10 yrs

Bhubaneswar, April 24 The Odisha cabinet led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday approved the proposal for extension of sponsorship agreement of both the men and women Indian national hockey teams (senior and junior) for a further period of ten years i.e., from 2023 to 2033.

The state has been the official sponsor of both the men and women national hockey teams since 2018. This support is going to be a significant step towards the growth and development of hockey in India, Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena said.

Earlier, state PSU Odisha Mining Corporation Ltd. (OMC) had entered an agreement with Hockey India for sponsorship of the Indian hockey teams for a period of five years from 2018 to 2023.

On a request from President Hockey India, OMC had sought approval of the Odisha government for extension of the agreement and on Monday, the cabinet approved it, he said.

OMC has now committed to sponsor for a further period of 10 years, from February 1, 2023, to January 31, 2033, and a total amount of Rs 434.12 crore (excluding taxes) will be released by OMC to Hockey India during this period.

Jena said the Odisha government has been a key promoter of Hockey and the state's partnership with Hockey India have played a crucial role in the revival of the sport in the country.

The achievements by both the teams at the Tokyo Olympics where the men's Team won a bronze medal after 41 years and the women's team reached the semi-finals for the first time have been significant realisations.

Hockey, being a widely popular sport among the youth in Odisha, with this decision, the government aims to provide further boost to the sport and attract more young players towards the sport, which will help in creation of a strong pipeline of talent in the state, he added.

Similarly, Jena said, the state cabinet has also accorded its approval for extension of Biju Setu Yojana (BSY) up to 2025-26 with an additional outlay of Rs 3,597.22 crore. The government has decided to build 866 new bridges under the scheme.

The government has also approved the tender for improvement of Cuttack ring road to 6-lane standard from Khannagar to Linkroad (2.1 km). The work is targeted for completion within a period of 24 months with a cost of Rs 121.65 crore.

The chief secretary further said that the state government has also enhanced subsidy under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy, 2021. It has decided to implement Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to improve the quality, reliability of power supply with an outlay of Rs 6,284 crore which includes state's share of Rs 2,342 crore.

Under the scheme, there is a provision of Rs 428 crore for smart metering, Rs 4,248 crore for disaster resilient infrastructure, Rs 1,509 crore for system strengthening.

The projects will be executed in three years and will be completed by 2026, he added.

bbm/pgh