Bhubaneswar: Renowned economist and author Karthik Muralidharan, celebrated globally for his expertise in education, public administration, and data-driven policy, shared his research insights with Odisha’s top bureaucrats during an interactive discussion at the Kharavela Bhawan conference hall on Wednesday.
The session, part of his state visit, revolved around themes from his latest book Accelerating India’s Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance. It brought together Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg, and senior officials from various departments, while district collectors and revenue commissioners across the state joined virtually.
Muralidharan observed that India’s economy is supported by strong fundamentals such as intellectual capital, macroeconomic stability, demographic advantage, democratic values, and the contributions of its diaspora. However, he pointed to persistent gaps in service delivery—spanning education, healthcare, public safety, justice, welfare, and quality employment—as key constraints to unlocking the country’s full growth potential.
He stressed that accelerating development requires strengthening state capacity, improving human resource management, decentralizing public spending, balancing state–market roles, and ensuring effective execution of welfare schemes. His presentation also included comparative analysis between Odisha and other states, offering practical, data-backed strategies for improvement.
Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja commended the presentation as “highly relevant” to Odisha’s growth trajectory. Following the main discussion, department secretaries held focused interactions with Muralidharan to explore tailored solutions for their respective sectors.
