The Odisha Cabinet on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 approved 10 key proposals spanning seven departments — including Law, Energy, and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development — in a wide-ranging reform session chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in Bhubaneswar. The decisions signal a coordinated push to modernise Odisha's legislative framework and unlock growth in the state's marine economy.

New Marine Fishing Law to Replace 1982 Act

The cabinet's most consequential decision was the approval of the Odisha Marine Fishing (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2026 (OMFRA, 2026), which repeals the Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982. The new legislation is designed to establish a modern, inclusive legal framework for the marine fisheries sector, incorporating provisions for marine resource conservation, coastal security, seaweed development, and mariculture — areas that were absent from the four-decade-old law.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg, speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, said: 'Chief Minister has announced in the budget that there will be a deep sea fishing mission and a shrimp export mission, and therefore it was very important to enact this legislation, whereby emphasis will be laid on marine resource conservation, coastal security, and ensuring that seaweed development and mariculture, which hitherto were not included, will also be introduced. We are hopeful that this will give a boost to the marine economy.'

The government has set an ambitious target of ₹25,000 crore in seafood exports by 2036, aligned with the Viksit Odisha Vision 2036–47 and the state's broader Blue Economy strategy. Notably, this legislative overhaul follows the Chief Minister's budget announcement of a dedicated deep-sea fishing mission — making the legal framework a prerequisite for operationalising those schemes.

358 Redundant Acts to Be Repealed

Acting on recommendations from the Odisha State Law Commission, the cabinet approved the Odisha Repealing Bill, 2026, which will strike off 358 Acts enacted between 1974 and 2025 from the statute book. According to an official statement, most of these are amendment Acts whose provisions have already been absorbed into their respective principal Acts, rendering them redundant. A further subset was enacted as one-time measures for specific purposes and ceased to be relevant upon coming into force.

This is one of the most extensive legislative housekeeping exercises undertaken by the state in recent years, and follows a broader national trend of statute rationalisation that several states — including Rajasthan and Maharashtra — have undertaken over the past decade.

Odisha Thermal Power Policy Amended

The cabinet also approved amendments to the Odisha Thermal Power Policy, 2008, reducing the mandatory power allocation by Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to the state government from the existing 12–14 per cent to 5 per cent. The revision aligns Odisha's policy with Government of India recommendations and brings it in line with practices already adopted in states such as Chhattisgarh. The change is expected to improve the commercial viability of private power projects in the state and potentially attract fresh investment in the energy sector.

Other Approvals and What Comes Next

Several additional proposals across the seven departments also received cabinet clearance during Wednesday's meeting, though full details are awaited from the government. The passage of the Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Bill, 2026 and the Odisha Repealing Bill, 2026 will now require formal enactment by the state legislature. Industry stakeholders in the fisheries sector will be watching closely to see how the deep-sea fishing mission and shrimp export mission are operationalised under the new legal architecture.