Odisha Launches Mission PoWaR to Ensure Power, Water and Road Connectivity Across Villages

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has initiated a comprehensive strategy to strengthen basic infrastructure in both rural and urban areas through an integrated programme titled Mission PoWaR (Power, Water & Roads). The mission aims to provide reliable electricity, assured drinking water supply, and all-weather road connectivity to every village in the State.

A preparatory meeting to operationalize the mission was held today in Bhubaneswar under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo. Minister for Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water and Rural Development, Rabi Narayan Naik, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, and Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg were also present.

The Deputy Chief Minister stated that Mission PoWaR is being launched as per the directive of the HChief Minister to ensure that no village is left behind in access to essential services. “Providing power, drinking water and last-mile road connectivity to every habitation is the objective of this mission. The work will proceed on the principles of speed, scale and standard,” he said. The integrated approach, he added, will help eliminate delays and ensure time-bound completion of projects.

During the meeting, it was decided that an inter-ministerial committee comprising senior officials of key departments will be formed to review the progress of ongoing and upcoming works. District Collectors will submit regular Panchayat-wise status reports to monitor the ground-level implementation.

Minister Shri Rabi Narayan Naik emphasized the goal of achieving universal drinking water coverage by March 2027. He noted that villages affected by fluoride contamination will be prioritized under a planned mitigation strategy to ensure safe drinking water for all households. He further said that a saturation drive will be carried out across departments to identify and cover left-out habitations through targeted, small-scale projects.

Principal Secretary, Energy Shri Vishal Kumar Dev, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, PR & DW Shri S.N. Girish, Director Drinking Water Shri Vineet Bhardwaj, Director Special Projects Shri Sidhharth Shankar Swain, along with senior officers from the Energy, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water departments were present.