Bhubaneswar, July 10 (Reporter) The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal enhancing the minimum wages for various categories, a Rs.200 crore corpus fund for promotion, preservation and propagation of Odia art, culture and heritage, and recruitment of 18,700 junior teachers in the state. The cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also approved recruitment of 18,700 junior teachers, energized the defunct LI points as well as strengthened the existing LI points, and inclusions of 5-6 lakh more farmers in the state under the PM Kisan Yojana. Briefing newsmen after the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said the cabinet approved the proposal to raise the wages of unskilled workers from Rs 352 to Rs 450, semi-skilled workers from Rs 392 to Rs 500, skilled workers from Rs 442 to Rs 550 and highly skilled workers from Rs 502 to Rs 600. This was the second cabinet meeting of the newly elected BJP government in the state. Earlier, the first cabinet meeting was held immediately after the swearing in ceremony on June 12 last in which it approved four proposals. They included opening of all the four gates of the Sri Jagannath temple, a corpus fund of Rs.500 crores for the development, beautification and conservation of Sri Jagannath temple, MSP for paddy at Rs.3100 per quintal and implementation of the Subhadra Yojana in the state. Majhi said the cabinet on Wednesday met for three hours and approved five proposals after detailed deliberations. He said the cabinet approved creation of a corpus fund of Rs.200 crore, for Odia Asmita which would be further increased in future, to establish Odia Asmita Bhawan,Odia Translation Academy, A palm leaf manuscript museum, development of Paika Rebellion Memorial, e-library and Odia chair at both national and international universities. The Chief Minister said efforts would be made to accord the famous Bali Jatra in Cuttack an international status and financial assistance will be made for training in Odissi music and dance, under the ‘Kalakar Gouraba Nidhi Yojana’. Majhi said the cabinet also approved the recruitment of 18,788 junior teachers at the Primary and Upper Primary schools in the state and the School and Mass Education department has been directed to expedite the certificate verification and the recruitment process of the Junior teachers. He said about 5-6 lakh more eligible farmers, both medium and large besides those in urban areas, who were denied benefit under the PM Kisan Yojana due to certain criterias of Kalia scheme of the previous government, will be now covered. The Chief Minister said in another proposal the cabinet approved to make 2065 defunct LI points functional and strengthen 10,152 LI points in the state to provide irrigation facilities over 59,292 hectares and 2,26,888 hectares of agricultural land respectively. The cabinet, he said, has approved Rs.1084.34 crore for the purpose to be implemented within five years during 2024-25 to 2028-29...////...