Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met World Bank Group President Ajay Banga at Loka Seva Bhavan on Thursday and discussed strengthening cooperation in key development sectors and advancing the state’s long-term growth and reform agenda.
The meeting was attended by senior state government officials, including Chief Secretary Anu Grag, Development Commissioner D K Singh, and representatives of the World Bank.
The discussions focused on accelerating inclusive and sustainable development, skilling India’s youth for private sector jobs, enhancing infrastructure, improving social sector outcomes, and promoting resilient and technology-driven growth.
The Chief Minister highlighted the state government’s flagship initiatives and reform measures aimed at improving growth such as by enhancing investment in infrastructure, micro small & medium enterprises, agriculture & allied sectors and tourism thereby creating employment opportunities especially for youth and women. Odisha has reformed acts and rules to make it business friendly and therefore has attracted huge investments. It has ranked second only to Andhra Pradesh with 2.5 lakh crores investment as per December, 2025 figures published by CMIE.
The World Bank president appreciated the state’s development efforts and reform orientation. He congratulated the state for its focus on skill building to create more private sector jobs for the state’s youth. A new World Bank Group-India strategic plan will build on examples like Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneshwar, by contributing to India’s $4 billion national initiative to upgrade Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). He reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting the State through technical assistance, policy advisory services, and financial cooperation.
The World Bank President also emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional capacity and fostering public-private partnerships.
Both sides exchanged views on global and regional economic challenges and the need for collaborative approaches to address issues such as building infrastructure, managing urbanization and sustainable resource management. They agreed to explore new areas of cooperation aligned with the State’s development priorities and the World Bank’s strategic objectives.
Chief Minister Majhi shared the Odisha vision document with President World Bank. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen collaboration and explore new avenues of cooperation aligned with “Odisha vision 2036 and 2047: Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat” and the World Bank’s strategic framework.
