Bhubaneswar: Odisha aims to achieve 40 per cent urbanisation and build a $500-billion economy by 2036, when the state will complete 100 years as a separate entity, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Saturday.
Addressing the National Urban Conclave-2026 in Bhubaneswar, Majhi said the state’s urbanisation level currently stands at 17 per cent and efforts are underway to develop ultra-modern infrastructure, modern institutions and planned urban centres to accelerate economic growth.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ and the ‘Purvodaya’ policy, Odisha has emerged as a major growth engine of the country, the Chief Minister said, stressing the need to make cities inclusive, technology-driven and equipped with modern amenities.
With India’s urban population projected to surpass its rural population by 2047, planned urbanisation will be crucial to sustaining economic development, he added.
Highlighting Odisha’s investment potential, Majhi said the state had received investment proposals worth Rs 23 lakh crore, while investments of Rs 3.5 lakh crore had been grounded, involving more than 200 industrial units.
The state is also developing the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BKPPER) under the guidance of the Central government and NITI Aayog. Expansion of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack through new satellite townships is underway, he said.
The government has also created 28 new Notified Area Councils (NACs), seven municipalities and one municipal corporation to strengthen urban governance and expand civic infrastructure.
Emphasising affordable housing and urban welfare, Majhi said 1.53 lakh houses had been constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U). Under PMAY 2.0, Rs 1,615 crore has been sanctioned for the ‘PMAY Urban Bandhu’ programme for the next five years, offering a 90 per cent concession on stamp duty and registration fees to economically weaker section (EWS) beneficiaries.
The state is spending Rs 6,000 crore on urban infrastructure and implementing the Rs 1,600-crore ‘Swachh Odisha Yojana’. The 24×7 ‘Drink from Tap’ water supply initiative is operational in 11 cities, he said.
Under the ‘Garima’ scheme, sanitation workers, including Swachh Sathis, are being provided modern equipment, safety gear, life insurance and social security measures to ensure their safety and dignity.
Focusing on the conclave’s theme, ‘The Right to Walk’, the Chief Minister underscored the importance of safe footpaths, pedestrian crossings and well-planned public spaces in urban transport systems.
The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) network, which began operations with 200 buses in 2018, now operates 770 buses across 138 routes in seven cities, carrying around 3.5 lakh passengers daily, he said.
Majhi flagged off 26 electric buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa initiative at the event. The state plans to add another 400 e-buses, 100 midi buses and 50 mini buses under the programme.
With the arrival of the additional buses, e-bus services will be extended to nine more cities — Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda, Baleswar, Jajpur, Rayagada, Jeypore, Bhadrak and Bolangir — taking the service beyond the existing seven cities, he said.
More than nine lakh bus journeys have been completed through digital ticketing on the ‘Odisha Yatiri App’, while drivers have received Rs 12 crore in fares without any commission deductions, the Chief Minister added.
On the occasion, Majhi launched the ‘Ankur Handbook’ and the ‘Town Planning Handbook’ and inaugurated the new urban development policy.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg highlighted the importance of ensuring basic civic amenities for citizens. She said the ‘Drink from Tap’ initiative, which began in Puri, had expanded to 11 cities, while piped drinking water was being supplied to households across 114 urban areas in the state.
To strengthen the initiative, ‘Jal Sathis’ will be engaged, and collaboration with IIT has been initiated for regular water-quality testing and research, she said.
NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain said 50 per cent of India’s population would live in urban areas by 2047 and contribute around 75 per cent of the country’s total GDP.
Urbanisation must be organised and planned, as well-designed cities accelerate economic growth, while unplanned urban expansion leads to serious challenges, Jain said.
Satendra Pal Singh, Secretary of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, delivered the welcome address.
Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu, Odisha Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department Usha Padhee, senior officials from the Centre and the state, experts and media representatives attended the conclave.
