Bhubaneswar, July 1, 2026: A high-level secretaries-level meeting was held today at the conference hall of Kharavela Bhavan under the chairpersonship of Chief Secretary Smt. Anu Garg to review various aspects of governance, financial progress and developmental projects in the state. Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Shri Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Shri Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary Chitra Arumugam, Additional Chief Secretary Smt. Usha Padhee, along with secretaries of all other departments and the Principal Secretary of the Finance Department, attended the meeting and participated in the discussions.
At the beginning of the meeting, Chief Secretary Smt. Garg highlighted the success of several remarkable schemes and programs of the state government. She shed light on the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), free education from KG to PG, the Chief Minister Annapurna Yojana, strengthening of the nutritional food system, increasing reservation in technical and vocational education and the achievements of the state in the sports, industries and startup sectors.
The major focus of the meeting remained on making governance in the state more effective, transparent and citizen-centric, besides promoting technology and evidence-based policy formulation, reviewing departmental performance and tracking the progress of major developmental works. Emphasis was placed on using scientific research, data analysis and field-level testing to enhance the impact of government welfare schemes, ensure optimal utilization of resources and draft effective policies. The meeting also discussed expanding Odisha’s ongoing partnership with “J-PAL” in areas like education, agriculture, labor, food supply, women empowerment and good governance. Future scope for boosting research and policy collaboration in fields such as climate change, women’s economic empowerment, migrant laborers, the labor market and Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also deliberated upon.
The Finance Department presented a comprehensive review of the state’s expenditure and revenue status up to June 30, 2026. It was noted that total program expenditure during the first quarter of the current financial year has increased significantly compared to the corresponding period last year, with a special focus on agriculture, social sectors and various developmental schemes. The Chief Secretary directed all departments to ensure the optimal utilization of budgeted funds, accelerate capital expenditure and complete ongoing projects within the stipulated timelines.
The Electronics and Information Technology Department gave a presentation on an Artificial Intelligence-powered Odia voice bot. This voice assistant is expected to directly interact with beneficiaries of government schemes in the Odia language to gather feedback, assess the quality of public services and help take immediate corrective actions. Additionally, the potential of Odia Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology was presented to digitize old, handwritten official records and integrate them into active administrative workflows.
To transform Jharsuguda into an integrated model of development, the meeting discussed the implementation of 25 strategic projects. These initiatives across sectors like healthcare, education, industries, transportation, airport expansion, digital services and green energy are expected to drive holistic development in the district and create new employment opportunities. Jharsuguda Collector Shri Kunal Motiram Chavan gave a presentation on the matter and discussed the preparation of a comprehensive roadmap, prioritizing public welfare, attracting investments and generating jobs.
Furthermore, the Chief Electoral Officer gave a presentation regarding the SIR (Special Summary Revision) program. The active cooperation of all district administrations was sought to make the electoral rolls highly accurate and error-free.
Looking ahead, all departments were instructed to work in close coordination under a ‘Team Odisha’ approach to ensure the seamless management of public service delivery and administrative tasks following the upcoming holy Rath Yatra. Chief Secretary Smt. Garg concluded the session by emphasizing that data-driven decision-making, maximizing the use of technology, strong inter-departmental coordination, time-bound implementation and citizen-centric service delivery are crucial to accelerating Odisha’s growth. She urged all departments to work diligently towards achieving the fixed targets within their designated deadlines.
