Odisha Targets 40% Urbanisation By 2036: CM Majhi
NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain said 50 per cent of India’s population could live in urban areas by 2047, contributing 75 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Odisha aims to increase its urbanisation rate from the current 17 per cent to 40 per cent by 2036, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Saturday, outlining the state’s vision for modern infrastructure, planned urban expansion and a $500-billion economy by the centenary of its formation.
Inaugurating the National Urban Conclave-2026 in Bhubaneswar, Mr. Majhi said work had begun to develop modern infrastructure and institutions to support the state’s anticipated urban growth.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 and the Purvodaya initiative, Odisha was emerging as a growth engine, he said, stressing the need to make cities inclusive, technology-driven and equipped with modern amenities.
The Chief Minister said Odisha had received investment proposals worth Rs 23 lakh crore, with projects involving Rs 3.5 lakh crore and more than 200 industries having reached the grounding stage. The proposed Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region is expected to support regional development, alongside satellite townships and the expansion of urban centres.
He highlighted initiatives in affordable housing, sanitation, drinking water and urban infrastructure. Under PMAY-Urban, 1.53 lakh houses have been constructed, while Rs 1,615 crore has been approved over five years for the PMAY Urban Bandhu programme. The state is also implementing urban infrastructure projects worth Rs 6,000 crore.
Emphasising the conclave’s theme, “The Right to Walk,” Mr. Majhi said safe footpaths, crossings and public spaces must be integral to urban transport planning.
The Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) network has expanded from 200 buses in 2018 to 770 buses operating on 138 routes across seven cities, serving around 3.5 lakh passengers daily, he said.
The Chief Minister launched 26 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa initiative. An additional 400 electric buses, 100 midi-buses and 50 mini-buses are planned, with services expected to extend to nine more cities.
He also launched a new urban development policy and released the Ankur Handbook and Town Planning Handbook.
NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain said 50 per cent of India’s population could live in urban areas by 2047, contributing 75 per cent of the country’s GDP. He stressed that planned urbanisation was essential for sustainable economic growth.
