Bhubaneswar, April 21: A comprehensive plan will be prepared for the development of the state, and coordination will be maintained with all departments for its effective implementation. The responsibility of ensuring continuous development from the grassroots to the district level will be taken up by the State Institute for Transformative Initiatives (CITI Odisha).
CITI Odisha will be established in place of the State Planning Board. It will function as the state government’s think tank and a top-level strategic advisory body.
A Governing Council will be formed for CITI Odisha. The Chief Minister will serve as its Chairman. In addition, there will be one Vice-Chairman, four full-time members, nine ex-officio members, and two special invitees. The council will meet at least once a year.
The Vice-Chairman will be appointed by the Chief Minister and will hold Cabinet Minister rank. Four eminent persons from different fields will be appointed as full-time members by the Chief Minister, and they will be given the rank of Ministers of State.
The Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary will serve as the Member Secretary. The Chief Minister will also appoint a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who will be an IAS officer of the rank of Principal Secretary or Commissioner-cum-Secretary.
Additionally, there will be a Program Director with relevant expertise, a multidisciplinary Project Implementation Unit (PIU), and an administrative unit for day-to-day operations. A State Monitoring and Evaluation Office will also function under CITI Odisha as a nodal agency.
CITI Odisha will function under the administrative control of the Planning and Convergence Department. It will guide the state government in achieving the goals of Samruddha Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.
It is noteworthy that the State Government dissolved the State Planning Board on July 18, 2024. As traditional planning systems have become outdated, CITI Odisha will provide a forward-looking alternative. It will help in policy formulation with modern approaches, research, and cooperative federalism inputs, and provide strategic direction to the government at the highest level.
Primarily, CITI Odisha will guide the state government in six key areas:
Economy and Finance
Rural Economy and Livelihood
Employment and Urban Development
Innovation and Thought Leadership
Energy Transition
Environment, Forest, Mining, and Natural Resources
This information has been provided by the Planning and Convergence Department.
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