Odisha Chief Secretary Reviews Departmental Progress, Emphasizes Citizen-Centric Governance

Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja chaired a high-level meeting at Lok Seva Bhavan today, reviewing the progress of key departmental initiatives and reaffirming the state government’s commitment to delivering citizen-centric services. The meeting focused on the evaluation of schemes and projects initiated since the last review on March 11.

During the session, Ahuja emphasized the need for all departments to continue their momentum in implementing planned activities and ensuring that public services reach every corner of the state effectively.

A major highlight of the meeting was the assessment of departmental expenditures for the financial year 2024-25. The Chief Secretary directed officials to prepare comprehensive work plans for 2025-26 to ensure the optimal use of allocated funds. He also stressed the timely submission of expenditure and investment certificates, particularly for centrally-sponsored schemes and grants.

The meeting underscored the state’s long-term development vision under “Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat 2036 and 2047.” Progress on the Work Pass Book system, a central system for real-time monitoring of drinking water and piped irrigation systems, and asset management tools developed by the Electronics and IT Department were reviewed.

Enhancing the grievance redressal mechanism and the development of a Citizen Feedback Management System portal were key topics of discussion. Officials were instructed to prioritize user-friendly digital platforms for improved public interaction and accountability.

The Department of Commerce and Transport reported that the “Odisha Yatri” ride-hailing app has successfully completed over 1.5 lakh trips. Additionally, the state has demonstrated a strong performance on the IGOT-Mission Karma Yogi platform, with over 4.16 lakh government employees registered and more than 5.64 lakh training courses completed. Odisha currently ranks second in the country on the platform, just behind Rajasthan.

To further enhance administrative efficiency, all employees are expected to complete a minimum of 20 hours of training annually. The meeting also outlined plans for capacity-building drives and public awareness campaigns to promote access to key services, including those under the Right to Public Services Act.

Departments were advised to expedite the filling of vacant posts, ensure timely pension disbursement, and implement Aadhaar-based authentication for better service delivery. The Development Commissioner urged senior officials to conduct monthly district visits and submit detailed field reports, reinforcing the importance of ground-level monitoring.