Odisha to have Law Commission and Agriculture Cabinet

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 26:

The Odisha Cabinet today approved 14 proposals the most significant among them being the decision to set up an Agriculture Cabinet and a Law Commission.

The Cabinet also decided to change the nomenclature of the Agriculture department to Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment department.

The proposals were approved by the Cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

“Odisha will be among the few states which will have an Agriculture Cabinet to look into expansion of cultivation and find ways to remove obstacles faced by the farming community,” chief secretary A P Padhi said briefing reporters after the meeting.

The chief secretary said the Agriculture Cabinet will be headed by the Chief Minister while nine other ministers connected with agriculture and farmers will be members.

“Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Resources, Co-operation, Water Resources, Energy, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare, Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development and Panchayati Raj will be its members,” Padhi said.

The chief secretary said the meeting of the Agriculture Cabinet would be held as and when required.

Explaining on the state government’s decision to set up a Law Commission, Padhi said the Commission will be required to improve and revise the existing law and enact law in consonance with the present scenario.

The complex job of advising the state government to amend the existing law, repeal obsolete law and consolidate, modify and bring reforms in law could only be undertaken by persons having sufficient experience and expertise in various branches of law, and administration of law and justice, he said.