The State Medicinal Plants Board (SMPB), Odisha, held its 6th Executive Body Meeting at the Home Department’s conference hall, marking a pivotal moment in the state’s herbal development strategy.
Chaired by Shri Satyabrata Sahu, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, the meeting culminated in the approval of a Five-Year Vision Plan aimed at transforming Odisha into a hub for medicinal plant conservation, cultivation, and commercialization.
Sri V. Karthick, IFS, Chief Executive of SMPB, presented the proposal, which outlines a phased funding model. The first year will be supported by the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Society (OFSDS), while subsequent years will see convergence with departments such as AYUSH, Panchayati Raj, and SC & ST Development.
To strengthen technical collaboration, MoUs will be signed in November 2025 with FRLHT (Bengaluru), IRMA (Anand), and MSSRF (Chennai). The initiative will also launch a dedicated herbal brand—“Kalinga Herbs”—to market products developed under the program.
In a move to enhance accessibility, the Chief Executive of RPRC has been directed to establish a dedicated outlet for SMPB products at RPRC, Bhubaneswar.
Key Outcomes:
- Approval of Five-Year Vision Plan for SMPB
- Launch of “Kalinga Herbs” brand
- Dedicated herbal outlet at RPRC
- Strategic MoUs with national institutions
- Multi-departmental convergence from Year 2
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Sri Suresh Pant, IFS; Sri G. Rajesh, IFS; Sri Gorakh Waman Kalunge, IFS; Smt. Anjana Panda; and Sri Sudhansu Sekhar Khora, IFS, among others.
