Bhubaneswar: Emphasising faster, smarter and more accountable governance, Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Wednesday asked all departments to adopt a stronger data-driven approach, increase the use of technology and ensure closer coordination to accelerate implementation of development programmes across the state.
Chairing a secretaries-level review meeting attended by senior bureaucrats, including Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, along with departmental secretaries, Garg reviewed governance priorities, departmental performance and the status of key government initiatives.
During the meeting, she stressed the importance of evidence-based decision-making, effective resource utilisation and timely execution of projects to strengthen public service delivery and improve governance outcomes.
The discussions highlighted several recent initiatives of the state government, including the Women Entrepreneurs Platform (WEP), the free education programme from KG to PG, the Chief Minister Annapurna Yojana, expansion of nutrition-focused interventions, increased reservation in technical and professional education, and progress made in sectors such as sports, industry and startups.
Departments were encouraged to further integrate digital tools, scientific research and data analytics into policymaking to make governance more transparent, efficient and citizen-centric.
The meeting also reviewed Odisha’s ongoing partnership with J-PAL across sectors including education, agriculture, labour, food distribution, women’s empowerment and governance. Officials explored possibilities for expanding collaboration into emerging areas such as climate action, labour markets, migrant welfare and artificial intelligence.
On the financial front, the Finance Department informed that programme expenditure during the first quarter of the current financial year had recorded a notable increase compared to the same period last year. The Chief Secretary directed departments to improve budget utilisation, accelerate capital expenditure and complete projects within scheduled timelines.
Showcasing the state’s digital governance efforts, the Electronics and Information Technology Department presented an AI-enabled Odia language voice bot developed to collect beneficiary feedback on government schemes, along with an Odia Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system intended to digitise handwritten official records.
The meeting also examined a development roadmap consisting of 25 strategic projects aimed at transforming Jharsuguda into an integrated growth model. The proposed interventions cover sectors such as healthcare, education, transport, industry, airport expansion, digital services and green energy.
In addition, the Chief Electoral Officer sought support from district administrations for the Special Intensive Revision programme to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls.
Concluding the meeting, the Chief Secretary called for coordinated execution of post-Rath Yatra public service activities under the “Team Odisha” approach and reiterated the government’s focus on timely delivery and citizen-first governance.
