Odisha cabinet approves bill to create economic region devpt bodies, Rs 2,995-cr scheme for tribals

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has given its nod to table a bill in the Assembly to create Economic Region Development Authorities (ERDAs) for urban growth.

A total of 11 proposals, including a Rs 2,995-crore project for socio-economic development of tribals, were cleared at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here on Saturday.

"The cabinet cleared a bill for amending the Odisha Development Authority (ODA) Act, 1982 to enable the establishment of ERDAs in the state," Chief Secretary Anu Garg told reporters after the meeting.

She said urbanisation is a major engine of economic growth and provides for the planned development of city agglomerations as integrated economic corridors with modern infrastructure, employment hubs, efficient mobility and coordinated service delivery.

"Odisha has envisioned such city agglomerations like the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradeep Economic Region (BKPPER), the Bargarh-Jharsuguda-Sambalpur, Berhampur-Chhattrapur-Gopalpur and Jeypore-Koraput-Sunabeda agglomerations," she said.

An economic plan has been developed for the BKPPER as a pilot project in collaboration with the NITI Aayog, the chief secretary said.

She said preparation of region-specific economic plans for these agglomerations would facilitate planning beyond individual municipal boundaries, leverage the complementary economic potential of the constituent urban centres, attract investment, generate employment and improve housing, mobility, public services and overall quality of life.

Though the Union Budget 2026-27 recognised the importance of such four city economic regions in the country as engines of economic growth, and BKPPER is one such region along with Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Surat (Gujarat) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), there is a need for proper administration of such city economic regions in the state. Accordingly, ERDAs will be established, she said.

The Odisha Development Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will provide a comprehensive statutory framework for the constitution, powers, and functioning of ERDAs for coordinated and integrated development of economic regions across Odisha, the chief secretary said.

In another major decision, the cabinet approved a proposal for the implementation of Mukhya Mantri Janajati Jeevika Mission (MMJJM) 2.0, a livelihood initiative aimed at improving the socio-economic condition of eight lakh tribal and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) households across the state.

Garg said the cabinet accorded its nod to implement the MMJJM 2.0 over five years, from 2026-27 to 2030-31, with a total financial outlay of Rs 2,995 crore, fully funded by the state government.

She said the MMJJM's first phase will be implemented in 13 districts covering about 1.5 lakh tribal households.

Garg said the programme aims to enhance the income and overall well-being of tribal and PVTG households by promoting sustainable farm, off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities through production clusters.

The cabinet also approved six proposals of the Water Resources Department which aimed to strengthen Odisha's agricultural sector, focusing on expanding irrigation coverage and ensuring administrative justice.