Odisha Targets 40% Urbanisation, $500 Billion Economy by 2036

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has set an ambitious target of raising the state’s urbanisation rate from 17% to 40% and building a $500 billion economy by 2036, when Odisha will complete 100 years of its formation.

Inaugurating the 2nd National Urban Conclave 2026 alongside the 19th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo, Majhi highlighted plans to strengthen urban infrastructure, improve public transport and develop sustainable cities.

The state plans to introduce 400 electric buses, 100 midi e-buses and 50 mini e-buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa Yojana. The initiative will extend Ama Bus services to nine more cities—Baripada, Angul, Jharsuguda, Balasore, Jajpur, Rayagada, Jeypore, Bhadrak and Balangir—beyond the seven cities currently covered by CRUT.

Majhi said Odisha has received investment proposals worth ₹23 lakh crore, with projects worth ₹3.5 lakh crore already grounded across more than 200 industries. The government is also developing the Bhubaneswar-Katak-Puri-Paradip Economic Region, planning satellite townships and expanding urban local bodies through 28 new NACs, seven municipalities and one municipal corporation.

Under PMAY-Urban, 1.53 lakh houses have been built. The state has sanctioned ₹1,615 crore over five years for the PMAY Urban Bandhu programme, offering eligible EWS beneficiaries a 90% exemption on stamp duty and registration charges. Another ₹6,000 crore has been allocated for urban infrastructure, while 11 cities receive round-the-clock Drink from Tap water supply. The Swachh Odisha Yojana has an outlay of ₹1,600 crore.

Emphasising the conclave’s theme, “The Right to Walk,” the Chief Minister called for safer footpaths, pedestrian crossings and better-planned public spaces. He also released the Ankur Handbook and Town Planning Handbook and launched a new urban development policy.

NITI Aayog CEO Anurag Jain said urban areas could accommodate 50% of India’s population by 2047 and contribute 75% of the country’s GDP. Union Minister of State Tokhan Sahu, Odisha minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Chief Secretary Anu Garg and other senior officials attended the event.