Bhubaneswar: Shrimati Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Odisha has positioned urbanization as the primary engine for accelerating Odisha’s journey toward a high-growth, future-ready economy. Speaking at the fourth plenary session of Vikash Manthan 1.0, titled Governance in Action: Samruddha Odisha, she presented a transformative blueprint that shifts the state’s focus from traditional city development to a sophisticated integrated economic-region framework. This strategic pivot is designed to leverage agglomeration-led development to boost industrial competitiveness and innovation across the state.
During the high-level consultative forum, ACS Shrimati Padhee highlighted that while Odisha’s current urbanization level stands at approximately 17 percent, this demographic shift represents a vital economic lever rather than a mere change in residency. She emphasized that urban planning must now align with long-term productivity enhancement and coordinated investments. By treating cities as hubs of economic activity rather than just residential centers, the state aims to harness the full potential of its evolving demographic landscape.
A cornerstone of this strategy is the proposed Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradeep Economic Region (BCPPER). This growth corridor is envisioned as a massive contributor to the state’s financial health, with projections suggesting it could account for nearly one-third of Odisha’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in the coming years. By integrating coastal logistics, industrial clusters, and tourism with urban infrastructure, the region is designed to catalyze large-scale employment and high-value service sector growth.
To ensure this growth is not confined to the coast, ACS Shrimati Padhee detailed the conceptualization of City Economic Zones in Western and Northern Odisha. Clusters around Rourkela, Sambalpur, and Koraput are being developed to anchor regional economies through steel, mineral-based industries, and agro-processing. This balanced approach seeks to transform these centers into vibrant engines of economic expansion that distribute prosperity across the entire state.
The roadmap also includes the Livable City Mission, which focuses on the qualitative aspects of urban growth. Shrimati Padhee noted that for cities to drive GDP effectively, they must offer resilient infrastructure, green public spaces, and seamless mobility. By improving urban livability and citizen-centric governance, the state aims to create an environment that attracts investment and fosters a productive workforce.
The session concluded with a clear mandate for inter-departmental convergence and time-bound implementation. Under the vision of Samruddha Odisha, the state government is committing to structured planning and governance innovation to ensure that urban expansion translates directly into measurable economic outcomes and sustained, inclusive growth for all citizens.