Bhubaneswar: Outlining an ambitious development agenda for Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday asserted that the state targets to become a USD 1.5 trillion economy to be the growth engine in the country’s development journey over the next 25 years.
The Chief Minister made this announcement at the 10th meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
Highlighting the state government’s ambitious target to make Odisha a USD 500 billion economy by 2036, Majhi said, “The people of Odisha aspire to see Odisha’s economy touch USD 500 billion by 2036 and soar to USD 1.5 trillion by 2047. Our state will be the growth engine in the country’s development journey over the next 25 years.”
“I assure you Sir (PM), Odisha will be the growth engine in the country’s development journey over the next twenty-five years,” Majhi was quoted saying in a press release issued by the chief minister’s office here.
Noting that India’s economy is the fastest-growing among all major global economies with a growth rate of 6.5 per cent in 2024-25, the CM said: “During the same period with the double engine push, the state has grown at 7.2 per cent. I am deeply grateful to the Prime Minister for visiting Odisha five times in the last 11 months which shows his commitment to the development of Odisha.”
Majhi further stated that plans are afoot to develop a metropolitan region by comprising six urban areas, including Bhubaneswar. The proposed metropolitan region, spread over 7,000 sq km, will comprise Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jatni and Paradip, he said.
“My government is committed to provide 40% urbanisation by 2036 & 60% by 2047 from the current 17%. We plan to develop a metropolitan region around Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Jatni, Cuttack, Paradip, and Puri, with similar plans for other growth centers,” the CM said
He also informed the meeting that state government has prepared a vision document to make Odisha a developed state by 2036, the centenary year of its formation. “The vision document will be launched on the first anniversary of BJP government in the state on June 12,” Majhi said.
The Chief Minister also gave a detailed account of the government’s initiatives to develop the agriculture, industry, education and other sectors in Odisha.
“We have started the process to bring all our cultivable areas under irrigation to raise agricultural productivity and farmer’s income and focus on rapid urbanization as an engine of growth. We look forward to building world class roads, railways and air connectivity with the support from the Union Government,” he said.
Odisha also seeks to leverage the state’s long coastline with port based special economic zones, as a part of global value chain, to drive economic growth and create employment opportunities, the Chief Minister said.
Majhi said the state is also making all out efforts to attract investment in textiles, garments, food processing and also new age industries for large scale employment generation. “We have the best in class skilling ecosystem for which ‘Skilled in Odisha’ is a global brand name. Odisha is emerging as an ITeS and Global Capability Centres hub,” he added.
