Odisha Reviews Key Ease of Doing Business Reforms to Boost Investment Climate

Bhubaneswar: Reinforcing its push to create a more investor-friendly and efficient regulatory environment, the Odisha government on Tuesday took stock of the implementation of key Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) reforms at a high-level review meeting.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, IAS, at Lok Seva Bhawan, focused on expediting ongoing reform initiatives, including the District Business Reform Action Plan (DBRAP) 2025, Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) 2026 and Deregulation Phase II. Heads of 24 State government departments participated in the discussions.

Addressing the meeting, the Chief Secretary said Ease of Doing Business continues to be a strategic priority for Odisha in line with national reform frameworks aimed at attracting investment and ensuring long-term economic growth. She urged departments to build on the gains made in earlier reform cycles and to adopt a coordinated, time-bound and results-driven approach to implementation.

Officials were informed that DBRAP 2025, which includes 154 reform points, is designed to strengthen district-level service delivery systems related to approvals, inspections and investor facilitation. The initiative seeks to ensure consistency in reform implementation across districts while embedding EoDB practices at the grassroots level.

BRAP 2026, covering reforms across nine focus areas, emphasises process re-engineering, system integration and enhanced inter-departmental coordination to improve regulatory efficiency, transparency and predictability for businesses.

Under Deregulation Phase II, the State is working on simplifying and rationalising regulations across 23 priority areas and seven optional areas. The initiative aims to reduce compliance burdens, streamline licensing processes and promote a trust-based governance model.

The meeting also highlighted the need for close collaboration among departments and effective use of institutional mechanisms to achieve measurable improvements in compliance ease, transparency and administrative efficiency. The State government reiterated its resolve to strengthen the reform ecosystem and position Odisha as a preferred destination for investment and enterprise.

Among those present were Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to Home, Industry and I&PR Hemant Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary of Labour and ESI, Science and Technology Department Chithra Arumugam, along with other Principal Secretaries and Commissioner-cum-Secretaries of various departments.