Bhubaneswar, February 27: Growth of the State must remain inclusive, regionally balanced, environmentally sustainable and institutionally robust to transform Odisha by 2036 and contribute to Viksit Bharat 2047, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said here today.
The Chief Secretary made this remark while addressing at the inaugural session of the two-day conclave ‘VikashManthan 1.0 – Governance in Action’, organised by the Planning & Convergence Department of Odisha, in collaboration with the Odisha Centre of Integrated Development (OCID).
Aimed at advancing the vision of ViksitOdisha 2036, aligned with the national goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, the conclave brings together senior government officials, representatives from civil society, academia, industry, and development partners to collectively shape Odisha’s long-term development trajectory.
In her keynote introductory address, Chief Secretary Garg articulated the State’s ambitious roadmap to transform Odisha into a high-income, inclusive, climate-resilient and innovation-driven economy by 2036, coinciding with the centenary of its statehood and aligning with India’s 100 years of Independence in 2047.
She highlighted that Odisha’s GSDP at current prices is estimated at Rs 9.9 lakh crore in 2025–26, reflecting a 9.5% increase over the previous year, while the real growth rate of 7.9% surpasses the national average. The State’s per capita income has nearly tripled over the past decade, rising from Rs 64,835 in 2015–16 to Rs 1,86,761 in 2025–26.
The Chief Secretary outlined strong sectoral momentum across agriculture, industry and services. Agriculture and allied sectors continue to outperform national averages in both contribution and growth rate.
The industrial sector, contributing over 41% to GSVA, is driven by robust manufacturing expansion, while the services sector is projected to grow at 9.3%, she pointed out.
Significant strides in social sectors were also highlighted, including enhanced public health expenditure, substantial increase in education budget, expansion of digital and computer facilities in government schools, and the remarkable success of the Odisha World Skill Centre with high placement rates, Garg added.
Women empowerment initiatives such as Subhadra and the Lakhpati Didi scheme are strengthening our grassroots economic participation, the CS further said.
Emphasising that fiscal strength must translate into measurable development outcomes, the Chief Secretary underlined that growth must remain inclusive, regionally balanced and environmentally sustainable.
She described Vikash Manthan 1.0 as not a mere ceremonial event but a governance instrument, designed to bridge government initiatives with expertise from academia, civil society and domain specialists.
She urged participants to identify catalytic interventions, scalable innovations and structural reforms to accelerate Odisha’s journey toward 2036 and ensure its leadership role in India’s growth story by 2047.
Delivering the welcome address, Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh described Vikash Manthan 1.0 as a “GyanaYagnya”, i.e. a confluence of thinkers, policymakers, implementers and scholars committed to generating transformative ideas for Odisha’s progress.
Emphasising India’s civilisational ethos as a cultural and spiritual nation, he remarked that such collective deliberations would churn out policy “Amrut” to guide the State’s developmental journey, Singh said
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Prafulla Ketkar, Editor of The Organiser, underscored the importance of anchoring development paradigms in India’s civilisational ethos and Bharatiya knowledge systems.
He emphasised that India is a “spiritual democracy” and that development must encompass mental, psychological, physical and spiritual dimensions.
Advocating the philosophy of integral humanism as a holistic framework for policy and governance, Ketkar observed that Bharat’s vision for the world is inherently integrated, rather than just binary.
He highlighted the significance of family as a fundamental unit in policy formulation and stressed that Odisha’s development model must draw strength from its cultural identity and Odia Asmita.
A detailed video presentation on the Vision Document 2036 & 2047 was also showcased by the Planning & Convergence Department, outlining the strategic direction and thematic priorities for the ViksitOdisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047 Vision Document.
Vikash Manthan 1.0 marks the beginning of an institutionalised annual forum aimed at reviewing data transparently, fostering collaborative governance and accelerating Odisha’s transformation into an inclusive, resilient and innovation-driven State by 2036 aligned with national priorities. (EOM)
