Mix Of Work & Fun At Odisha Senior Officers’ Conference

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to break from the monotony of the usual meeting, the annual Senior Officers’ Conference in Odisha this year will blend serious brainstorming on governance with bonding and socialisation.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the conference at Lok Seva Bhawan here on Friday and it will be attended by all Secretaries, Collectors and IAS officers in the state.

Besides, the meeting venue will shift from the State Secretariat to the picturesque Konark Eco Retreat at the end of day one.

After the inauguration, the meet will have presentations by group of secretaries on inclusive governance, new age technology and innovation, infrastructure development for growth, tapping sectors like tourism, textile and handlooms as well as sustainability of cities. Senior IAS officers will make the presentations.

According to sources, the conference will focus on the government’s key plank of delivery of public services, with the CM’s 5T and Mo Sarkar mantra stamped all over it.

As part of the conference, Collectors have been clubbed in five groups to make presentations on livelihood, health, school education, women empowerment and governance challenges at the district level.

The groups of Collectors will then present their views on public services delivery and action plans for the next five years. The groups have been carefully chosen by looking at the current issues. Like the group comprising Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Jagatsinghpur, Balasore and Nabarangpur districts will present its action plan on health sector which has room for improvement.

The departure from routine will come on day two. The IAS officers will indulge in outdoor activities at the Konark Eco Retreat in the morning and re-group for a pre-lunch motivational talk. It would be followed by interactions among the IAS officers where the young ones would get to pick the brains of the senior and wise heads.

Apart from bridging the distance, the officers would also find solutions to service-related issues through interactions. The IAS Association meet will also be held at the end of the day at the Eco Retreat where the officers will make the night halt.