Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg Reviews Development Projects, Directs Disaster Preparedness Across Districts

Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg Reviews Development Projects, Directs Disaster Preparedness Across Districts

Bhubaneswar, Nov 14 (UDN): Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting with District Collectors to assess the progress of major development projects and government welfare schemes, laying particular emphasis on disaster preparedness, land acquisition and timely delivery of public services.

The meeting, held at Lok Seva Bhawan, was attended by Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deo Ranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hemant Sharma and senior officials from various government departments. District Collectors participated through video conferencing.

During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed projects and programmes across several key departments, including Home, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Water Resources, Health, Agriculture, Food Supplies, School and Mass Education, Handlooms, MSME, Mission Shakti and Cooperation.

Disaster Response Hubs To Come Up In Five Cities

A major focus of the meeting was strengthening Odisha’s disaster management infrastructure. Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma directed Collectors to immediately identify government land for setting up regional disaster-response hubs at Balasore, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rayagada and Sambalpur.

These hubs are proposed to facilitate the rapid deployment of emergency equipment and resources during natural disasters. Collectors were also asked to facilitate the relocation of government offices, police stations and Excise Department enforcement units to the designated hubs.

As part of the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ campaign, Collectors and Superintendents of Police were advised to hold District-level Narco Coordination Committee meetings every three months to strengthen action against illegal drug trafficking and intensify public awareness campaigns.

Push For Faster Project Implementation

The Energy Department called upon Collectors to resolve land availability issues, environmental clearance requirements and local-level obstacles to accelerate electricity connections to Gram Panchayats and villages in identified districts.

The Housing and Urban Development Department stressed expediting land acquisition and transfer for the Bhubaneswar water supply project, along with irrigation and sanitation projects in Rourkela and Balangir.

In compliance with Supreme Court directions, all 30 districts have also been asked to strengthen solid waste management through stricter enforcement, dedicated monitoring cells, registration of bulk waste generators and improved functioning of District Urban Development Agencies.

Paddy Procurement And Farmers’ Welfare Under Review

The Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department reviewed preparations for paddy procurement and called for strengthening procurement infrastructure, increasing godown capacity and speeding up the tender process for transportation of paddy and rice from mandis to mills and subsequently to storage depots.

The Agriculture Department directed Collectors to monitor farmer registration on a daily basis, particularly in villages reporting low registration numbers.

They were also instructed to expedite land identification and transfer for automatic weather stations under the SWIFT (Weather Information Data System) project.

Special attention was sought towards ensuring the quality, proper distribution and utilisation of seeds, pesticides and vegetable minikits being supplied to flood-affected farmers under the Chief Minister’s Special Flood Relief Package.

Health Campaigns And Rural Development Initiatives

Reviewing the ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’, the Health Department highlighted screening of targeted populations, X-ray examinations and nutritional assistance to beneficiaries under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana.

Collectors were asked to improve district-level implementation and ensure effective functioning of the committees constituted across all districts. Class-I officers have also been nominated at the block level to strengthen monitoring.

Focus On Handloom, MSME And Women’s Empowerment

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the Chief Minister Handloom Development Scheme. Collectors were directed to identify suitable land for Handloom Hubs and Tasar Silk Parks, expedite sericulture development and monitor construction of basic centres under the Craftsmen Improvement Scheme.

Officials were further asked to promote the ‘Sujanika’ brand and take necessary steps to facilitate bank loan approvals for beneficiaries.

Under Mission Shakti, Collectors were instructed to accelerate the development of market infrastructure for women entrepreneurs, including Subhadra Shakti Marts, Gram Panchayat Subhadra Shakti Kendras and District Subhadra Shakti Bazaars.

MSME initiatives, including the One District One Product programme, Odisha Seva Fast Naba Srijana Abhiyan and National Startup Awards 6.0, also came up for review.

Land Identification For Godavari Adarsh Primary Schools

The proposed Godavari Adarsh Primary Schools across different parts of Odisha were another key agenda of the meeting.

Collectors were directed to identify suitable land at the earliest and resolve all land-related and other administrative hurdles to ensure that construction work begins within the stipulated timeframe.

The Chief Secretary’s review underlined the state government’s emphasis on accelerating development projects, improving administrative coordination and strengthening disaster-response mechanisms to ensure effective delivery of public services across Odisha.