Bhubaneswar: The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council was held today at the State Convention Centre, Lokseva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar. The meeting was organised by the Inter-State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, in association with the Government of Odisha.
The meeting was chaired by Anu Garg, Chief Secretary, Odisha, as the host state. Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal participated in the meeting. Ashish Srivastava, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, Ministry of Home Affairs; Pratyaya Amrit, Chief Secretary, Bihar; Ajay Kumar Singh, Development Commissioner, Jharkhand; and Binod Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, West Bengal attended along with senior officers of the participating States and the Inter-State Council Secretariat.
Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Industries, Information and Public Relations Departments, Government of Odisha, delivered the welcome address.
A total of 74 agenda items were taken up for discussion. These included 12 pending items carried forward from the previous meeting, 61 new agenda items and one item relating to best practices adopted by the participating States.
The meeting held detailed discussions on inter-state, development and governance-related issues. Key matters discussed included inter-state water issues, flood management, infrastructure development, railway projects, rehabilitation and resettlement, compensation, mining in ecologically sensitive areas, human-elephant conflict management, cyber security, digital infrastructure, telecom connectivity, banking access in unbanked rural villages and implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
The Subarnarekha Multipurpose Project and recurring flood-related concerns affecting Odisha and Jharkhand were deliberated in detail. The Water Resources department Secretaries of Odisha and Jharkhand were asked to hold joint discussions and work out an optimal solution before the next meeting of the Zonal Council. Other inter-state river-related matters of eastern zonal states were also discussed.
Issues relating to telecom connectivity in Odisha were discussed in the presence of the ACS, Electronics & IT Department and the Principal Secretary, Finance Department. The meeting also reviewed operationalisation of banking services in unbanked rural villages, network connectivity, NHAI infrastructure projects and cyber crime investigation.
Construction of dams in Jharkhand and related rehabilitation, resettlement and compensation matters were deliberated. Railway-related issues, including compensation, and progress of Centrally Sponsored Schemes were also reviewed.
The Committee discussed food safety parameters, strengthening of digital infrastructure, growth of data centres, IT initiatives, mandatory biometric updates for children, implementation of the PM-Vidyalaxmi Scheme and IEC activities related to the scheme.
Other agenda items included auction of major mineral blocks, PMGSY road connectivity, implementation status of Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, establishment of Special Courts for speedy disposal of rape and POCSO Act cases, updating of urban master plans, progress under PMAY 2.0, measures to reduce school dropout rates and cooperative sector initiatives under “Sahakar Se Samriddhi”.
In the afternoon session, states presented best practices and innovative initiatives. Odisha presented the Ama Sathi WhatsApp chatbot for citizen-centric digital governance. The State also highlighted women’s empowerment through the Subhadra Scheme, post-evaluation studies, and the Subhadra-to-Mudra entrepreneurship pathway. Odisha’s tourism land bank initiative was also presented.
Bihar presented the BHAVYA health application for strengthening the state’s healthcare system. Jharkhand shared best practices in fisheries, particularly cage culture in abandoned coal and stone pits, and joint household visits by Sevikas and Sahiyas to improve family-level healthcare. West Bengal presented innovations under PM e-VIDYA for classrooms, research-room-based initiatives, and best practices in dredging, flood management, revenue generation and e-auction models. Ashish Srivastava, Secretary, Inter-State Council Secretariat, described the meeting as successful and said several inter-state and common issues involving the Government of India had been resolved. He stated that remaining matters would be placed before the next meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council to be chaired by the Union Home Minister.
Chief Secretary, Odisha, Anu Garg emphasised the need for timely and coordinated action on all agenda items. She urged departments and participating States to work together to ensure visible progress at the earliest and to strengthen the development trajectory of the Eastern Zonal region.
The meeting concluded with a collective resolve to strengthen inter-state coordination, expedite resolution of pending issues and ensure effective implementation of development programmes across the Eastern Zonal region.
