The Odisha Secretaries’ level meeting, held under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary Anu Garg at Kharavela Bhawan, focused on reviewing the state’s financial performance, accelerating expenditure, and mapping out strategic developmental goals.
The high-level meeting saw participation from Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh, along with Additional Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of various departments.
Chief Secy Garg commended key citizen-centric initiatives executed in August, including free textbook distribution for Class 9 and 10 students, removing the cap on OPSC exam attempts, releasing the 5th installment of the ‘Subhadra’ scheme, and successfully hosting the 2nd National Garima Samman. Financial reviews revealed improved overall and program expenditures compared to the previous year, alongside notable capital expenditure growth and increased total revenue collection. Smt. Garg directed officials to expedite project implementation in line with budget allocations to achieve target outcomes.
Aligning with the vision of *Viksit Odisha 2036* and *Viksit Bharat 2047*, Khordha Collector Shri Amrit Ruturaj presented a comprehensive roadmap featuring 25 strategic projects. Key proposals for Khordha district include:
- Industrial & Infrastructure Development: Developing industrial hubs in Begunia-Bolagarh and Tangi to boost investment, employment, and MSMEs; implementing a dual ring road strategy for traffic decongestion; and expediting administrative processes for the Khordha-Vizianagaram railway expansion.
- Urban & Connectivity Improvements:** Widening the Jayadev Vihar–Nandankanan corridor with flyovers, along with establishing modern block-level convention centers for civic and cultural use.
- Culture, Heritage & Tourism: Setting up the Paika Memorial Cultural Center as a digital museum and research hub, developing Chilika into an eco-tourism circuit, restoring district heritage sites, and modernizing the Balkati brass and bell-metal artisan cluster.
- Agriculture & Knowledge Hubs: Improving irrigation networks, fast-tracking the Rajua Diversion Weir project, and setting up an Innovation Hub at Capital Science City to drive youth research and technology skills.
