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These decisions were taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said the Odisha Public Trust Ordinance, 2025 aims to promote trust-based governance by decriminalizing minor and procedural regulatory offences, rationalizing penalties and simplifying compliance.
The ordinance is in line with the Centre’s Public Trust (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which replaces criminal sanctions with proportionate civil penalties for non-serious violations.
Under the new system, imprisonment for minor procedural lapses will be replaced with graded civil penalties, while administrative adjudication will help ensure faster dispute resolution.
“This is expected to reduce litigation burden, reduce court backlog and costs, and increase regulatory certainty for citizens and businesses,” Ahuja said.
According to an official release, the ordinance spans a wide range of sectors including labour, trade, taxation, cooperative societies, fire safety and municipal administration. It also aligns state laws with recent central laws such as the Indian Code of Justice (BNS), 2023, and aims to enhance investor confidence by promoting transparent and predictable governance.
The Cabinet also approved the Factories (Odisha Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, designed to promote industrial growth and attract new investments.
The amendment introduces flexible work provisions, allowing a maximum of 10 hours per day or 48 hours per week, subject to workers’ written consent. It also allows for up to six hours of continuous work without interruption for specific factory categories.
Importantly, the ordinance enables women to work in all types of factory roles, including shifts before 6 am and after 7 pm, provided they give written consent and safety protocols are strictly followed.
Overtime rules have also been revised, with the daily limit of 12 hours and the weekly limit retained. Officials said the move will increase ease of doing business, improve operational flexibility and create more employment opportunities.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the ‘Clean Odisha’ scheme with an outlay of ₹1,600 crore for five years starting from the 2025-26 financial year.
Ahuja said the scheme aims to improve sanitation efficiency across the state by consolidating various existing initiatives under a single framework.
Other approvals included construction of in-stream storage structure, an inter-state river-linking project and additional schemes under the water resources department.