BKPPER Set to Drive Odisha’s Economic Leap, Chief Secretary Anu Garg Announces

When the wheels of a massive regional plan start turning, you can feel the buzz in the corridors of power. That’s exactly what Chief Secretary Anu Garg said on Saturday while chairing an inter‑departmental coordination meeting at Kharavel Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. She described the Bhubaneswar‑Kataka‑Puri‑Paradip Economic Region, better known as BKPPER, as the ‘major growth engine’ that will thrust Odisha toward its Vision 2036 and Vision 2047 milestones.

Gathered around the table were heavy‑hitters: Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, a host of Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Commissioners and senior officials from a slew of departments. The atmosphere was a mix of optimism and the usual administrative hustle – papers shuffled, data points flashed, and a collective resolve to keep the project on schedule.

Garg didn’t mince words. She stressed that a coherent, region‑wide development vision could usher in “greater prosperity, investment, employment and economic growth” for the four districts of Khordha, Kataka, Puri and Jagatsinghpur. Yet she was quick to add that lofty goals remain just that without tight coordination among departments. In other words, teamwork isn’t optional – it’s the backbone of turning plans into reality.

Usha Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, then walked the room through the latest progress snapshots. She pointed out that BKPPER is slated to lift Odisha’s GDP significantly and dovetail neatly with the national “Viksit Bharat 2047” agenda. Padhee also reminded everyone that the region must evolve as an inclusive, sustainable and globally competitive hub – no room for half‑measures.

The blueprint is ambitious. It calls for multimodal transport links, smoother mobility, affordable housing, pedestrian‑friendly streets, climate‑resilient ecosystems and a sweeping urban regeneration programme. Think of it as stitching together the best of Bhubaneswar’s tech and IT pulse, Kataka’s traditional trade, Puri’s tourism charm and Paradip’s port and logistics might into one seamless economic corridor.

BKPPER isn’t just a state‑level experiment. It is one of four pilot projects launched under the Union government’s City Economic Region Scheme. NITI Aayog, together with state ministries, has identified 269 projects across 19 sectors to feed into this grand design. Officials spent part of the meeting mapping these initiatives on the PM Gati Shakti portal, ensuring transparency and real‑time tracking.

Numbers add weight to the vision: the plan aims to create more than 40 lakh non‑farm jobs and attract corporate investment exceeding $400 billion. While those figures sound almost cinematic, the officials present were keen to stress that they are attainable with the right mix of policy, financing and on‑ground execution.

Financing, of course, is the lifeblood of such a mammoth scheme. Discussions touched on potential partnerships with the Asian Development Bank, and the recent cabinet approval of the Capital Economic Region Development Authority (CERDA) promises a stronger institutional framework. CERDA will oversee planning, project implementation, financing and investment mobilisation across the BKPPER belt, acting as the glue that binds everything together.

In the end, the meeting underscored a simple truth: big ideas need big cooperation. From the state’s chief secretary down to the department heads, everyone walked away with a shared mantra – work together, innovate constantly, and keep the momentum alive. If they can pull it off, BKPPER could indeed become the engine that powers Odisha’s next economic surge.