Odisha has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy in eastern India, recording a robust 7.9 per cent growth rate in 2025-26 while maintaining fiscal discipline, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said at the 11th Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.

 

Presenting Odisha as a key driver of Prime Minister Modi’s “Purvodaya” vision, Majhi said the state has combined high economic growth with prudent financial management, enabling it to secure the top position in NITI Aayog’s Fiscal Health Index 2026.

 

The chief minister said Odisha’s economic performance demonstrates how strong fiscal governance can coexist with accelerated development.

 
 

“The state has kept both fiscal deficit and debt levels within the limits prescribed under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) framework even as it continues to invest heavily in infrastructure, social welfare and human development,” he said.

 

Majhi attributed a significant part of Odisha’s growth momentum to enhanced central support for infrastructure projects. He thanked the Union government for allocating Rs 10,928 crore for railway development in the 2026-27 Union Budget and said railway projects worth more than Rs 90,000 crore are currently under implementation across the state.

 

These investments, he said, are expected to strengthen connectivity, boost industrial activity and create new economic opportunities.

 

Positioning Odisha as a future logistics and maritime powerhouse, the chief minister said the state is rapidly emerging as a major hub under the Sagarmala and PM Gati Shakti programmes.

 

The proposed Bahuda deep-sea port and the development of National Waterway-5 will improve multimodal connectivity, reduce logistics costs and enhance eastern India’s integration with global trade networks, he said.

 

In a significant boost to Odisha’s industrial ambitions, Majhi noted that the approval of two semiconductor projects under the India Semiconductor Mission has reinforced investor confidence in the state’s industrial ecosystem.

 

The projects, he said, will help position Odisha as an emerging destination for electronics manufacturing, semiconductor production and advanced technology industries.

 

The chief minister, however, stressed that the state’s development vision extends beyond infrastructure and industrialisation.

 

Speaking on the theme of “Inclusive Human Development for Viksit Bharat”, he said Odisha is making substantial investments in health, education, nutrition and skill development to build a strong human capital base.

 

“Guided by the national vision of Viksit Bharat, we are committed to building Viksit Odisha through sustained investments in human development. In fact, one of the three pillars of our vision is wellness, including health, nutrition and education, apart from inclusiveness and prosperity,” he said.

 

Majhi outlined a series of initiatives aimed at improving early childhood development, mother tongue-based learning, developmental milestone tracking and strengthening Anganwadi centres through Saksham Anganwadi and Vidya-Sarathis, under which college graduates volunteer as early childhood teachers.

 

He announced that Odisha plans to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into early childhood education to provide personalised learning and developmental support.

 

In school education, the state has established 44,875 Sishu Vatika classrooms benefiting more than 317,000 children and reached nearly 1.1 million families through enrolment drives.

 

The government is also setting up Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalayas in every gram panchayat to improve learning outcomes and infrastructure.

 

The chief minister highlighted welfare measures such as the Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana, which extends nutritious meals to more than 1.1 million students in Classes IX and X, and the Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana, which provides financial support of Rs 5,000 to tribal students continuing their education beyond elementary levels.

 

He also underscored Odisha’s efforts to promote multilingual education in 21 tribal languages and support girls’ education through the Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana.

 

On skill development, Majhi said Odisha is building a future-ready workforce through large-scale investments in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), centres of excellence (CoEs) and industry-linked skill programmes.

 

Ten government ITIs are being upgraded as Utkarsh ITIs with investments of up to Rs 100 crore, while 25 ITIs will host CoEs in emerging sectors with an investment of Rs 200 crore.

 

Similarly, 22 ITIs are being upgraded as CoEs under the public-private partnership (PPP) model at a total project cost of Rs 779 crore, while AI laboratories are being established in 13 institutions under the India AI Mission.

 

The state is preparing to implement the PM SETU scheme, under which four clusters comprising four hub ITIs and 16 spoke ITIs will be upgraded with investments of around Rs 960 crore.

 

The World Skill Centre, which has emerged as a flagship finishing school, will expand through new campuses at Sambalpur and Berhampur focusing on sectors such as marine technology, renewable energy, agritech, hospitality and retail, he informed.

 

Majhi said Odisha is aligning higher education with industry requirements. The state has adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 framework and engaged nearly 150,000 students in internship programmes.

 

The Apprenticeship-Embedded Degree Programme is being expanded from 1,200 to 10,000 seats to strengthen employability and industry exposure.

 

The chief minister also showcased Odisha’s growing stature in sports development. He said the state has launched an ambitious programme to establish 314 block-level stadiums with multi-sport facilities, making it the first state in the country to undertake such a large-scale grassroots sports infrastructure initiative.

 

The programme is expected to benefit more than 1.2 million sports enthusiasts, particularly in rural and tribal regions.

 

On agriculture, Majhi said Odisha is leveraging digital technologies through AgriStack, under which digital crop surveys covering more than three crore plots have been completed.

 

The state is integrating these databases with input distribution, procurement systems and market-access platforms to improve farmer incomes and policy delivery.

 

In healthcare, he highlighted the role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in expanding preventive and primary healthcare services.

 

Over the last two years, more than 2.28 crore people have participated in yoga and wellness sessions, while 28.11 lakh tele-consultations and 73.46 lakh beneficiary interactions through health camps have enhanced healthcare access across the state.

 

Majhi described Odisha’s strong performance in regulatory reforms, citing that the state secured the second rank nationally under the National Deregulation Initiative due to extensive ease-of-doing-business reforms.

 

He said the government’s Gramodaya initiative is driving welfare saturation and livelihood creation in former Left Wing Extremism-affected regions.

 

Tourism and digital governance were also highlighted as emerging pillars of growth.

 

The chief minister said the Puri-Konark corridor is being developed as a world-class tourism destination that will generate employment and strengthen local entrepreneurship.

 

Simultaneously, Odisha is deploying AI across governance platforms such as Ama Sathi to make public services more accessible, transparent and citizen-centric.

 

“Odisha’s long-term strategy will focus on aligning human capital investments with emerging economic opportunities through stronger industry-academia partnerships, expanded apprenticeship programmes and market-oriented curricula. The state will remain a strong pillar of India’s growth and continue to play a leading role in its journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047,” he added.