Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday unveiled Mission PoWaR, a targeted initiative aimed at bridging these critical infrastructure gaps in rural areas.
The acronym PoWaR stands for power, drinking water, and roads.
During the presentation of the Odisha Budget for 2026-27 in the Assembly, Majhi expressed concern that these basic amenities have not reached every citizen even 78 years of India’s independence. He announced a new scheme ‘Connectivity to Unconnected Habitations‘ under Mission PoWaR with a proposed provision of Rs 1000 crore in 2026-27.
Under this mission, the government has committed to providing reliable electricity, piped drinking water, and all-weather road connectivity to every revenue village across Odisha by the financial year 2026-27.
Majhi emphasised that the initiative will be guided by three core principles: Speed (accelerated implementation), Scale (wide coverage), and Standard (high quality). This approach is designed to ensure time-bound delivery and measurable progress. “To achieve these ambitious goals, the departments of Energy, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Rural Development will collaborate closely in a mission-mode framework. An integrated, coordinated effort—potentially supported by inter-ministerial oversight—will drive the execution, addressing long-standing challenges that have hindered rural development and quality of life,” he said.
Majhi also proposed Rs 5,575 crore under the new scheme ‘Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)‘ for providing 125 days of employment guarantee for the rural household strengthening their income. Another Rs 1,500 crore has been allocated under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to complete the incomplete works and till finalisation of all formalities under ‘VB G-RAM-G’. “To arrest distress migration in 30 migration-prone blocks of 9 districts, an additional amount of Rs.400 crore is proposed under ‘State Support to MGNREGS’ for the financial year 2026-27,” he added.
The CM also announced a new initiative, DALKHAI (Dignified Access to Livelihood, Knowledge, Health and Allied Infrastructure), to address the underlying causes of distress migration by ensuring sustainable livelihoods through inter and intra-departmental coordination.
He also proposed Rs 635 crore ‘Samrudha Anganwadi Yojana‘ to enhance child nutrition and early childhood care through upgraded Anganwadi centres. “Under the new scheme, AWCs will be constructed at a unit cost of Rs 15 lakh per centre without crèche facilities and Rs.20 lakh per centre with crèche facilities.”
The CM also announced two expressways: Paralakhemundi to Ambabhona and Motu to Mayurbhanj and a scheme to restore Chilka lake. He proposed construction of new buildings:
i. Jana Ashraya Bhavan- guest house at Bhubaneswar for people visiting from different districts
ii. The new State Legislative Assembly
iii. The new State Secretariat
iv. A new World Class Museum
v. Odisha Mandap Convention Centre
vi. A State-of-the-Art Museum in Bhubaneswar with an estimated project cost of Rs 800 crore which will showcase the historical, archaeological, and anthropological heritage of Odisha.
vii. Marine Aquarium at Puri
A new scheme ‘Udyami’ was also proposed by Majhi for promotion of 6,000 nano entrepreneurs with a total outlay of Rs 40 crore in next two years.
Majhi also mentioned another new initiative, Odisha Homestay Establishment Scheme, to promote community-based tourism by encouraging homestay development across rural and emerging destinations, generating local livelihoods while offering authentic and immersive experiences to visitors.
Four new Greenfield Universities will be established at Kendrapada, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak and Jharsuguda. “Unlike Brownfield universities, which are upgraded from existing colleges, Greenfield institutions have the unique advantage of implementing fundamentally new organisational models and innovative pedagogy in post-graduation courses from day one in line with the NEP-2020 mandate,” he informed.
Similarly, two new government engineering colleges will come up at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district and Balangir.
The CM also proposed <
strong>A Centre of Excellence in Mining and Metallurgy at the Government College of Engineering, Keonjhar to meet the rising demand for skilled professionals in Odisha’s rapidly expanding mining and metals sector.
The government has also allocated Rs 278 crore for setting up of two campuses of World Skill Center at Sambalpur and Berhampur, Majhi said.
The Chief Minister also proposed to set up three Ayurvedic medical colleges at Gajapati, Malkangiri and Rayagada and two homoeopathic medical colleges at Nayagarh and Nuapada with an outlay of Rs 140 crore.
Additionally, Majhi announced two new schemes – Mukhyamantri Bayanashilpa Bikasha Yojana and Mukhyamantri Resham Vikasha Yojana, to be implemented along with the Mukhyamantri Hastatanta Bikasha Yojana for the handloom sector with an allocation of Rs 102 crore.
The other new initiatives announced in the budget are as follows:
>> 100 Smart Farm Markets (Model Mandis): Rs 100 crore to modernise agricultural marketing infrastructure.
>> Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangal Yojana: A savings instrument of Rs 20,000 will be created for every girl born into an economically weaker section family. She will be provided Rs 1,00,001 on completion of graduation.
>> Chief Minister Smart City Mission: Rs 100 crore to accelerate urban transformation. This new initiative targets the comprehensive development of major cities through convergence of Urban Infrastructure Schemes and ensuring provision of basic urban facilities to become liveable.
>> World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan: Rs 240 crore to bolster food security through expanded storage facilities.
>> Rare Earth Corridor: Rs 10 crore to promote mining, processing, and research in critical minerals, aligning with national priorities.
>> State Institute for Transformative Initiatives: Odisha (SITI-Odisha): To drive innovative governance and policy reforms.
>> State AI Mission: Rs 23 crore to foster artificial intelligence adoption and innovation.
>> Tourism Land Bank Scheme: Rs 150 crore for planned tourism development.
>> Chief Minister’s Economic Advisory Council: To provide expert guidance on economic policies.
>> Fit Odisha Mission: Rs 10 crore to promote health, fitness, and wellness statewide.
>> Atala Rakta Dana Abhiyan: It includes establishment of blood banks in all Medical Colleges, upgradation and modernisation of all blood banks in the state, provision of 50 mobile blood collection units, and establishment of plasma fractionation centres.
The CM also proposed to revamp the existing Odisha Cancer Care Plan (OCCP) as ‘Mukhya Mantri Cancer Care Abhiyan’ with Rs 311 crore for taking up intensive community awareness, extensive village-level screening and mobile camps, cancer registry, a digital hub-and-spoke model for early treatment, and free patient transportation services.
He further mentioned that a National Mega Shipbuilding Cluster is coming up at Kendrapada with an investment of Rs 22,700 crore in partnership with the Odisha Maritime Board and Paradip Port. “An all-weather Satellite Port at Bahuda Muhan in Ganjam is being built with Rs.21,500 crore support from Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited. National Waterway-5 will be operationalised with Rs 12,200 crore investment to improve inland cargo transport. An International Cruise Terminal at Puri, costing Rs.500 crore, will boost tourism and global connectivity.”
Majhi also informed that an Iconic Science City would come up over 77 acres in Khurda district as a centre for science, technology, and translational innovation of global standards. “The Science City shall be designed for immersive experiential learning for all ages, with sections for on-site innovation labs. We will invest about Rs.300 crore for the proposed science city in next five years and I propose an amount of Rs.12 crore for the purpose in 2026-27,” he said.
The government will start Odisha State Innovation Mission to promote the state’s presence and ranking in the Global Innovation Index. “This will establish an innovation ecosystem to hone the critical and design thinking skills of its youth and entrepreneurs and acknowledge innovation as a key fulcrum for exponential growth and job creation,” he noted.
“We will establish Odisha Biotechnology Research Centre to promote advanced research and industrial growth in frontier biotechnology to encourage patent generation, technology transfer and commercialisation. It will boost the knowledge driven bio-economy of the State and will reinforce Odisha’s emergence as a competitive biotechnology destination,” he added.
