CM charts out bold path for cities' growth by 2036
Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday announced an ambitious plan to boost Odisha's urbanisation rate from the current 17% to 40% by 2036 and 60% by 2047. The announcement came during his address at the 10th governing council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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The centrepiece of this urban transformation includes developing a massive 7,000 sq km metropolitan region — comparable to the size of the Hyderabad Metropolitan region — encompassing Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Jatni, Cuttack, Paradip, and Puri. Similar development plans are in the pipeline for other growth centres across the state.
Speaking at the meeting, Majhi outlined his vision for 'Viksit Odisha', targeting to grow the state's economy to $500 billion by 2036 and $1.5 trillion by 2047.
"Odisha will be the growth engine in the country's development journey over the next 25 years," Majhi assured.
The CM said Vision Odisha 2036 and 2047 documents, incorporating suggestions from over 320,000 citizens and analysed using AI, will be launched on June 12, on the first anniversary of his oath.
The CM highlighted several key initiatives, including implementation of the '
', which has benefitted over 1 crore women with disbursements exceeding Rs 10,000 crore.
He also announced plans to fill 1,50,000 govt positions over the next five years.
In terms of investment, the recent Utkarsh Odisha Conclave attracted 593 proposals worth Rs 16.73 lakh crore across 20 sectors, with the potential to create 12.88 lakh jobs. The state is also focusing on developing special tourism zones, including the Hirakud region and Buddhist circuit.
Majhi expressed gratitude for the Centre's support, noting sanctioned railway projects worth Rs 73,000 crore and National Highways projects valued at Rs 4,600 crore, with additional projects worth Rs 17,500 crore in the pipeline.
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Majhi said the vision document was crafted using artificial intelligence to analyse suggestions from over 320,000 citizens through an online portal. "I will personally monitor its implementation," he said.
The CM outlined key focus areas, including complete irrigation coverage for cultivable lands, rapid urbanisation, and development of port-based special economic zones along the state's coastline. He emphasised the state's commitment to attracting investments in textiles, garments, food processing, and new-age industries to generate large-scale employment.
Majhi highlighted Odisha's leadership in skill development under the "Skilled in Odisha" brand and its emergence as a hub for ITeS and global capability centres.
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Odisha Vision document will be released on June 12, the first anniversary of Majhi govt
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