In a significant step towards strengthening holistic governance and institutional well-being, a high-level review meeting was held today at the 3rd Floor Conference Hall of Kharabela Bhawan under the chairmanship of Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing & Urban Development Department.
The meeting focused on finalising a strategic Memorandum of Understanding between the Odisha Urban Academy and Sri Sri University for promoting human-centred capacity building across Odisha’s urban governance system.
The proposed collaboration seeks to move beyond conventional institution-centred training by placing greater emphasis on the holistic development, well-being, and professional effectiveness of individuals engaged in urban governance. Under the proposed partnership, OUA and Sri Sri University will jointly develop and deliver specialised capacity-building programmes covering stress management, meditation, conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and related areas for government officers, municipal executives, and personnel of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
A key component of the initiative will be the creation of a cadre of professionally trained counsellors equipped to provide psycho-social and legal support. The partnership will also explore the use of digital technology to extend such support and capacity-building interventions to underserved and unreached urban communities. The initiative is envisaged to foster a ‘Karmayogi’ work culture rooted in ethical leadership, emotional well-being, empathy, professionalism and citizen-centric governance.
The proposed collaboration is aligned with the broader vision of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047, and is intended to contribute to the Government’s efforts to make Odisha’s cities more inclusive, resilient, efficient and globally liveable.
Chairing the meeting, ACS Smt Padhee emphasised that strengthening urban administration requires not only professional competence but also equal attention to the mental, emotional and psychological well-being of public functionaries. She underscored the importance of creating a work environment that enables public servants to perform with greater empathy, resilience and effectiveness.
Smt. Padhee directed the concerned officials to expedite the preparation of specific Terms of Reference and finalise the implementation framework so that the proposed training modules can be rolled out at the earliest.
