Odisha Unveils ANKUR Partners’ Handbook to Strengthen Urban Governance

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has unveiled the ANKUR Partners’ Handbook, outlining a collaborative framework to strengthen urban governance, improve municipal services and promote sustainable and inclusive urban development across the State.

The handbook was released during the Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and the National Urban Conclave (NUC) 2026 in Bhubaneswar, showcasing the initiative’s strategic partnerships, ongoing interventions and plans for urban reforms.

ANKUR, or Atal Network for Knowledge, Urbanisation and Reform, was conceptualised by Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, Usha Padhee, and formally launched by the State Government on May 28, 2025. Aligned with the visions of Viksit Odisha @2036 and Viksit Bharat @2047, the initiative connects government priorities with research, specialised expertise and implementation support.

Inspired by the ideals of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the initiative is built around four pillars: capacity building, knowledge and research, implementation support, and innovation.

It brings together 11 partner organisations working in areas such as urban governance, municipal finance, digital services, livelihoods, environmental sustainability and urban planning. The partners include Tata Steel Foundation, Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy, Urban Management Centre, eGov Foundation, Lighthouse Communities Foundation, UN-Habitat, Prosperiti, Air Pollution Action Group, Airawat Research Foundation, Socratus Foundation and WRI India.

Municipal reforms and digital governance

ANKUR supports Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in improving financial management, property tax administration, digital governance, urban planning, sanitation worker welfare and air pollution mitigation.

Technical support from Prosperiti has contributed to changes in the Odisha Development Authorities Rules, including rationalisation of building standards, reduction of industrial land footprint requirements and a more flexible negative-list zoning framework.

Digital transformation is another key focus, with the SUJOG platform being strengthened as a unified system for municipal service delivery. According to the initiative, interventions have reduced municipal employees’ reporting time by an average of 48 per cent while supporting more efficient administrative processes, including in faecal sludge and septage management.

Under the 2026–27 reform agenda, the State plans to expand SUJOG coverage from 115 to 140 ULBs, improve data integrity and system reliability, strengthen property tax mapping and municipal revenue intelligence, and encourage greater use of data-driven and artificial intelligence-enabled administrative processes.

Livelihoods and citizen participation

The initiative also focuses on expanding employment opportunities and improving access to public welfare schemes.

Lighthouse Centres have enrolled 9,703 young people in foundation courses, of whom 4,646 have secured employment. Convergence with the GARIMA scheme is also creating opportunities for skill development and livelihood support for core sanitation workers and their families.

Community outreach initiatives SAHAJOG and SAHAJOG Plus have reached 6.60 lakh households, facilitated more than 3.25 lakh applications for welfare schemes and helped unlock nearly ₹10,000 crore in public welfare benefits, according to the programme details.

These initiatives also support participatory planning in informal settlements, allowing residents’ needs and local priorities to inform urban development decisions.

Focus on circular economy and cleaner cities

ANKUR is promoting innovation in waste management and sustainable construction by exploring ways to convert low-value plastics, industrial silica and foundry waste into composite bricks and structural panels. These interventions include a targeted plastic recovery capacity of 50 tonnes per day.

Improved construction and demolition waste management and material reuse are also part of the initiative’s circular economy approach, aimed at reducing waste and encouraging resource-efficient urban development.

Under the Dispersed Sources Programme, partner organisations are working with urban authorities to identify and address local sources of air pollution, including open garbage dumping, unpaved roads and construction debris. The approach aims to help cities develop targeted responses based on local conditions.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacity of ULBs to plan, manage resources and deliver services by combining technical expertise with practical implementation support. Its collaborative model allows cities to identify challenges, test solutions and adapt successful interventions for wider application.

The release of the Partners’ Handbook at UMI–NUC 2026 marks an effort to showcase this model of collaboration between government and specialised organisations. Through institutional capacity building, digital reforms, social inclusion and sustainable innovation, ANKUR aims to improve the quality and accessibility of urban services while helping Odisha’s cities become more resilient and citizen-centric.