Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday, 11 June presented a comprehensive account of his state's human development agenda before the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Majhi outlined Odisha's strides in education, skilling, healthcare, sports, and technology-driven governance as building blocks for both Viksit Odisha and the broader national goal of Viksit Bharat.

Odisha's Economic Scorecard

Majhi told the council that Odisha recorded an economic growth rate of 7.9 per cent in 2025-26, while maintaining fiscal discipline within FRBM limits on both deficit and debt. He added that the state has been ranked No. 1 in NITI Aayog's Fiscal Health Index 2026 — a credential he positioned as evidence that growth and fiscal prudence can coexist. Odisha, he said, is proud to be at the forefront of Prime Minister Modi's Purvodaya vision, aimed at transforming eastern India into the nation's next growth frontier.

Early Childhood and Education Initiatives

Anchoring his address in developmental science, Majhi stressed that 85 per cent of a child's brain develops within the first two years of life, making early childhood investment non-negotiable. He cited a suite of state programmes — including Sukhad Lalan Palan, Ame Padhiba Ama Bhasare, Mo Bikas Patra, Aarohan, Saksham Anganwadi, and Vidya-Saarthis — as targeted interventions to strengthen early learning outcomes.

On school education, Majhi referenced schemes such as Ama Kuni Pila, Sishu Vatika, Pravesh Utsav, Khadi Chuan, Godabarish Mishra Adarsha Prathamika Vidyalayas, Mukhyamantri Poshan Yojana, Shahid Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana, Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, and Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana. The state also plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence under the National AI Mission to personalise education, track developmental milestones, and improve childcare outcomes.

Skilling, Sports and Healthcare

Majhi said Odisha is upgrading its skilling ecosystem through ITI upgradation, Centres of Excellence, AI labs, PM SETU clusters, and an expanded World Skill Centre. Higher education reforms include internships for 1.5 lakh students and apprenticeship-linked degree programmes designed to align curricula with market demands in manufacturing, services, and emerging technologies.

The Chief Minister also highlighted block-level stadium development under the sports push, AgriStack-enabled digital crop surveys in agriculture, and expanded healthcare access through Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. The state's Ama Sathi platform, he noted, is leveraging AI and digital tools to improve governance and service delivery while ensuring privacy and accountability.

The Viksit Odisha Vision

'Guided by the national vision of Viksit Bharat under your leadership, we are committed to building Viksit Odisha through sustained investments in human development. In fact, one of the three pillars of our vision is wellness, including health, nutrition and education apart from inclusiveness and prosperity,' Majhi said, addressing Prime Minister Modi directly.

He underscored that inclusive human development cannot be achieved through infrastructure alone, but requires 'empowered people, skilled youth, healthy families, educated children and inclusive opportunities.' The state's commitment to deepening industry-academia partnerships was also reiterated, with a focus on embedding industry-relevant curricula across institutions. With NITI Aayog's Governing Council serving as the apex forum for Centre-state policy alignment, Odisha's presentation signals its intent to position itself as a model for the Purvodaya eastern India growth corridor.