Bhubaneswar: Driving a monumental paradigm shift in civic governance, Additional Chief Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Smt.Usha Padhee is spearheading the next generation of infrastructure growth to realize the state’s ambitious Viksit Odisha Vision 2036.
This transformation was spotlighted at the Odisha Urban Academy during an interactive session with a high-level delegation from the Rajasthan Urban Drinking Water Sewerage and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd., who visited Bhubaneswar and Puri on an Asian Development Bank-supported exposure trip.
The visiting nine-member delegation from Rajasthan, which included senior engineers and technical experts like Additional Chief Engineer Shri Mohan Lal Saini and Superintending Engineers Shri Mukesh Kumar Meena and Shri Khemraj Meena, arrived in Odisha to study the state’s pioneering models in water supply, waste management, and civic administration.
The field itineraries took the team through critical urban infrastructure assets across Bhubaneswar and Puri, offering them a direct look at the execution of citizen-centric reforms.
During the interactive session, ACS Smt.Usha Padhee detailed how Odisha is translating its master blueprint into grassroots realities, positioning the state as a national paradigm for urban governance. Central to this strategy is the expansion of the acclaimed 24×7 Drink from Tap Mission, which guarantees equitable, round-the-clock access to high-quality drinking water directly to households.
Smt.Padhee shared insights into how these water systems are being integrated with holistic sanitation networks, modernized public transport, and tech-driven municipal monitoring systems to build highly liveable urban ecosystems.
The state’s current urban strategy focuses heavily on empowering Urban Local Bodies to drive highly impactful infrastructure investments while ensuring strict project accountability. This approach directly complements the broader targets of the Viksit Odisha Vision 2036, which aims to accommodate a rapidly rising urban population by establishing green infrastructure, sustainable land management policies, and resilient civic services.
The Rajasthan delegation expressed keen interest in replicating Odisha’s operational frameworks back home, recognizing the state’s models as highly scalable solutions for inter-state urban migration challenges. Also present at the knowledge-sharing session were Additional Secretary cum Director of the Odisha Urban Academy Suvendu Kumar Sahu, along with senior officers from the department, all working under a unified directive to elevate Odisha’s civic infrastructure ahead of the state’s centenary milestone in 2036.