Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar-Kataka-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BKPPER) is poised to become a major growth engine for Odisha’s economy and play a key role in achieving the state’s Vision 2036 and 2047 goals, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said on Saturday.
Garg made the remarks while chairing an inter-departmental coordination meeting on the BKPPER project at Kharavel Bhawan here. She called for coordinated, innovative and collaborative efforts by all departments to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the ambitious regional development initiative.
The meeting was attended by Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Commissioners and Secretaries of various departments, and senior officials.
Garg said a coherent regional development vision could usher in greater prosperity, investment, employment and economic growth across the region. She emphasised that effective coordination among departments would be crucial for translating the project’s objectives into outcomes on the ground.
Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, presented the progress of the BKPPER project and outlined priority areas for its timely completion.
Padhee said the project would make a significant contribution to Odisha’s GDP and support the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. She stressed the need to develop BKPPER as an inclusive, sustainable and globally competitive economic region through integrated interventions.
The proposed interventions include multimodal transport, improved mobility, affordable housing, pedestrianisation, climate-resilient ecosystems and urban regeneration.
BKPPER is one of four major pilot projects in the country prepared under the City Economic Region Scheme of the Union government. As part of the initiative, 269 projects across 19 sectors have been identified by NITI Aayog in collaboration with various state government departments.
Officials reviewed the progress of these projects and discussed inter-departmental coordination, project mapping on the PM Gati Shakti portal and the future course of action.
The BKPPER initiative seeks to leverage the economic strengths of Bhubaneswar and surrounding areas, including IT and technology, traditional trade, tourism and culture, as well as port, industrial and logistics capabilities.
The proposed economic region comprises four districts — Khordha, Kataka, Puri and Jagatsinghpur — and 19 urban areas. The objective is to develop the region as a contiguous, liveable and sustainable economic corridor with integrated infrastructure and economic activities.
The project is expected to generate more than 40 lakh non-farm jobs and attract corporate investment of over $400 billion, according to officials.
The meeting also discussed cooperation between the Union and state governments for implementation of the mega project. Financing support from the Asian Development Bank has also been proposed as a potential partnership for Odisha.
Meanwhile, the Capital Economic Region Development Authority (CERDA) has recently received Cabinet approval, paving the way for a stronger institutional framework for the initiative.
The authority is expected to facilitate a unified regional management system covering planning, project implementation, financing and investment mobilisation across the BKPPER region.
