Bhubaneswar: Nine Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the 2024 batch from the Odisha cadre, currently undergoing training at the Gopabandhu Administrative Academy, visited the Planning and Convergence Department here on Monday as part of their one-year extended training programme.
The visit aimed to provide practical administrative exposure through interactions with key state departments, institutions, and officials. During the programme, the trainee officers were briefed on the functions and coordinating role of the Planning and Convergence Department in driving the state’s development agenda.
The officers held an interactive session with Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, who outlined Odisha’s planning processes, convergence strategies, and major development initiatives. He encouraged the probationers to leverage opportunities in the state’s administrative framework and highlighted the department’s role in ensuring coordinated growth. He also spoke about the contribution of Odisha’s mineral resources to the economy, drawing from his experience in the Steel and Mines Department.
Managing Director of Odisha Mining Corporation, Sudhanshu Mohan Samal, was present during the interaction. Earlier, Deputy Director General of the academy, Dr. Monalisa Lenka, gave an overview of the training programme.
Senior officials including Additional Chief Secretaries Prakash Chandra Mohanty and Pradyumna Kumar Mahakud, along with Director of Economics and Statistics Dr. Bijay Bhushan Nand, briefed the trainees on departmental functions and key initiatives.
Officials highlighted progress in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators through inter-departmental coordination, alongside programmes such as Aspirational Districts and Blocks, Saturation Mission 2.0, and initiatives of the Western Odisha Development Council. The trainees were also apprised of the implementation mechanisms of funds including MLALAD, MPLAD, District Mineral Foundation (DMF), and the Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Fund.
Discussions further covered the state’s financial position, budget formulation process, welfare schemes, and long-term vision documents such as “Viksit Odisha @2036” aligned with “Viksit Bharat @2047,” as well as the “36 for 36” initiatives. A presentation on economic surveys and statistical systems was also delivered.
The induction training of the officers is scheduled to conclude on April 24, after which they will proceed for Assistant Secretary-level training in Delhi, followed by advanced training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. Upon completion, they are expected to return to Odisha to assume their official responsibilities.
