Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government plans to develop a metropolitan region comprising six urban areas in the state, said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the 10th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi today.

The proposed metropolitan region, spread over 7,000 sq km, will comprise Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Khurda, Jatni and Paradip, added the Chief Minister.

According to Majhi, the state government has set a target to raise the urbanization in Odisha to 40 per cent by 2036 and 60 per cent by 2047 from the present level of 17 per cent.   

The Chief Minister highlighted the state government’s ambitious target to make Odisha a USD 500 billion economy by 2036.

“The people of Odisha aspire to see Odisha’s economy touch USD 500 billion by 2036 and soar to USD 1.5 trillion by 2047. Our state will be the growth engine in the country’s development journey over the next 25 years,” stated the Chief Minister.

According to the Chief Minister, the state government has prepared a vision document to make Odisha a developed state by 2036, the centenary year of its formation.

“The vision document will be launched on the first anniversary of BJP government in the state on June 12,” said Majhi.

The Chief Minister also spoke about his government’s initiatives to develop the agriculture, industry, education and other sectors in Odisha.

“We have started the process to bring all our cultivable areas under irrigation to raise agricultural productivity and farmer’s income and focus on rapid urbanization as an engine of growth. We look forward to building world class roads, railways and air connectivity with the support from the Union Government,” he said.

Odisha also seeks to leverage the state’s long coastline with port based special economic zones, as a part of global value chain, to drive economic growth and create employment opportunities, added the Chief Minister.

“We are making all out efforts to attract investment in textiles, garments, food processing and also new age industries for large scale employment generation. We have the best in class skilling ecosystem for which ‘Skilled in Odisha’ is a global brand name. Odisha is emerging as an ITeS and Global Capability Centres hub,” said the Chief Minister.