Industry Odisha Bureau, Jun 11: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said Odisha proudly standing at the forefront as a strong pillar of India’s growth, progress, and prosperity and realization of aspiration to build a Viksit Bharat.
Participating in this 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here, Majhi said, “Your vision of Purvodaya is transforming eastern India into the next growth frontier of the nation, and Odisha is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation.”
Under the double-engine government, Odisha has maintained strong growth while ensuring fiscal prudence. In 2025-26, Odisha recorded an economic growth rate of 7.9 per cent, while keeping fiscal deficit and debt levels within FRBM limits, he pointed out.
Reflecting our commitment to responsible governance and sound financial management, Odisha has been ranked No. 1 in NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index 2026, Majhi stated.
He thanked Union Government for allocating Rs 10,928 crore for railway development in Odisha in the Union Budget 2026-27. Today, railway projects worth over Rs 90,000 crore are under implementation, strengthening connectivity and unlocking new economic opportunities.
“I would also like to appreciate the Government of India for its proactive measures to safeguard the nation’s energy security amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. Strategic diversification of energy sources, promotion of alternative fuels and EVs, and prudent management of domestic energy supplies has significantly strengthened India’s resilience against external shocks, the CM said.
Stating Odisha is rapidly emerging as a major maritime and logistics hub under Sagarmala and PM Gati Shakti, he said the proposed Bahuda Deep Sea Port and the development of National Waterway-5 will enhance multimodal connectivity, reduce logistics costs and strengthen eastern India’s role in global trade.
The approval of two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission marks another significant milestone. These investments reaffirm confidence in Odisha’s industrial ecosystem and position the state as an emerging hub for electronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing, he added.
Our Government is committed to ensuring quality education for every child. In alignment with NEP-2020, the State Government has started 44,875 Sishu Vatika classrooms, strengthening Early Childhood Education for 3.17 lakh young learners across the State, he added.
Under Pravesh Utsav & Khadi Chuan, we reached out to 11 lakh families in last two years for encouraging them to admit their children in Sishu Vatika and Class I. The State Government is also establishing Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalayas in every Gram Panchayat with an aim to set up holistic learning centres with infrastructural improvents and equitable learning environment, he noted.
To improve student nutrition and retention, the State Government has launched the Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana, extending nutritious meals to over 11 lakh students of Classes IX and X. Also, the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana provides one-time financial incentive of Rs 5,000 to Scheduled Tribe students in Odisha joining in Class 9 & Class 11 in government and government-aided schools with family income below Rs 2.5 lakh annually.
Odisha, having substantial tribal population is ensuring Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in 21 tribal languages for the children at AWCs and Schools to ensure equity and inclusivity.
The State Governments Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana is a flagship conditional cash-assistance scheme designed to support education, health, and ensure empowerment of girl children from families earning less than ₹8 lakh annually. A maturity benefit of ₹1,00,001 is disbursed at the age of 21, conditional on completing graduation or Class X/XII with a recognised skill course. There are incentives of ₹2,500 each at various milestones such as school entry, Class V, Class X, and Class XII.
Recognizing the evolving nature of the labour market, the CM said his government has adopted a comprehensive and multi-tier skilling ecosystem that spans short-term training, long-term vocational education, higher technical education, and advanced skill specialization.
Industry linked CoEs in emerging sectors will be established in 25 Govt ITIs with an investment of ₹200.0 crore. Similarly, 22 Govt ITIs are being upgraded as Centres of Excellence in PPP Mode at a total project cost of ₹779.0 crore and AI labs under India AI Mission being setup in 13 Govt ITIs to prepare youth for emerging trades and industry demand, he informed the NITI Aayog.
Besides, the State Government is also in readiness to implement the PM SETU Scheme of Government of India, under which 4 clusters comprising 4 Hub ITIs and 16 Spoke ITIs will be upgraded with an investment of around ₹960.00 crore. This will be a game changer with industry leading the transformation of the ITIs.
The World Skill Centre (WSC) has emerged as a leading finishing school, with plans to expand through new campuses in Sambalpur and Berhampur. These will deliver advanced training in sectors such as Marine, AgriTech, Renewable Energy, Retail, and Hospitality.
The State has also launched Certification Program in Fintech & Insurtech in collaboration with National University of Singapore and Global FinTech Network, Singapore. At the IIIT Bhubaneswar, courses related to Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence are being introduced.
The State has formally adopted the NEP-2020 framework in 2024 and rapidly transforming the higher education landscape. “We have prioritized experiential learning by engaging 1.5 lakh students in diverse internships across private, public, and community engagements. Simultaneously, we are scaling up our Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) from 1,200 to 10,000 seats and are set to engage NSS volunteers to provide six months of dedicated support to 1,000 Anganwadi Centers,” Majhi said. .
Odisha has emerged as a leading sporting state through a comprehensive and inclusive approach focused on grassroots infrastructure, mass participation, and talent development.
Block Level Stadiums under Grassroots Infrastructure Development launched on 24 April 2025 is a landmark initiative of the State for development of 314 Block Level Stadiums having multi-sport facilities, making Odisha the first state in the country to undertake such an innovative programme at the grassroots level to facilitate accessibility to sports infrastructure across all blocks. This will benefit over 12 lakh sports enthusiasts including rural and tribal populations and also generate significant local employment.
Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been providing comprehensive preventive, promotive, and curative services at the grassroots level. Over the last two years, 2.28 crore people participated in Yoga and Wellness sessions, 28.11 lakh tele-consultations were facilitated, and 73.46 lakh beneficiaries were covered through Ayushman Arogya Shivirs, significantly enhancing access to quality healthcare, early disease detection, and health awareness across the State.
Odisha is harnessing Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies to make governance more citizen-centric, transparent and efficient. Through platforms such as Ama Sathi, citizens can access government services through a simple multilingual and voice-enabled interface.
We are also exploring the use of AI for grievance redressal, service delivery, agriculture, healthcare, education and disaster management to enable data-driven decision-making and improve outcomes. At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring responsible and ethical use of AI with appropriate safeguards for privacy, security and accountability, he noted.
Going forward, Odisha recognizes that sustaining its demographic advantage will require a sharper focus on aligning human capital investments with emerging economic opportunities.
The State is committed to further deepening industry- academia partnerships to ensure that education and skilling systems cater to market needs, particularly in high-growth sectors such as manufacturing, services, and emerging technologies, through expanding apprenticeship and internship opportunities, and embedding industry-relevant curricula across educational institutions.
