Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday reviewed preparations for the upcoming NEET-2026 re-examination, public health initiatives, compensatory afforestation measures and cooperative sector infrastructure projects during a meeting of district collectors chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg.
The meeting, held at Lok Seva Bhavan, was attended by Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Home, Industries and Information & Public Relations) Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and Disaster Management) Dr Arabinda Kumar Padhee, senior departmental secretaries and district collectors from across the state. While several collectors attended physically, others joined through virtual mode.
Reviewing arrangements for the NEET-2026 re-examination scheduled on June 21, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for seamless and orderly conduct of the examination. Detailed discussions were also held on security and logistical arrangements.
The Transport Department was directed to provide free bus services for candidates travelling between nearby railway stations or bus stands and examination centres. As the examination coincides with International Yoga Day, district administrations were instructed to ensure coordinated planning for the smooth conduct of both events.
During the meeting, Dr Padhee highlighted the state government’s emphasis on identifying and preserving suitable government land for compensatory afforestation to balance development and environmental conservation. With several infrastructure and development projects underway, a dedicated land bank is being created for afforestation activities. District collectors were directed to expedite identification of suitable land parcels and update related land records.
Reviewing the Health and Family Welfare Department, the state government asked district administrations to accord top priority to fire and electrical safety in healthcare institutions. Collectors were instructed to ensure timely rectification of deficiencies, conduct regular fire safety audits and mock drills, and renew fire safety certificates.
The meeting also reviewed the availability of medicines and diagnostic services in government hospitals, progress of vaccination programmes, the tuberculosis elimination campaign and implementation of the ‘Stop Diarrhoea’ campaign being conducted from June 16 to July 31. Officials also discussed securing Record of Rights (RoR) for hospital land and strengthening monitoring and coordination mechanisms for public health programmes.
In the cooperation sector review, emphasis was laid on strengthening infrastructure for Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) and Large-sized Adivasi Multipurpose Societies (LAMPS), including land allotment and construction of office buildings and godowns.
Cooperation Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil urged district administrations to expedite land allotment and infrastructure projects for PACS and LAMPS. Discussions were also held on identifying suitable land for large-capacity storage facilities under the World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan to address food grain storage shortages in the state.
The Development Commissioner underscored the need to transform PACS and LAMPS into multi-service centres catering to a wide range of agricultural requirements in the future.
