Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is set to participate in the launch of the Udyami Odisha MSME programme and the inaugural event of the Women's Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) Odisha Chapter alongside NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Ashok Kumar Lahiri, the Chief Minister's Office of Odisha announced on Saturday, 27 June 2026. The event marks a significant convergence of state and central government efforts to boost entrepreneurship and support women-led enterprises in the state.

Context

The Chief Minister's Office of Odisha posted on X that CM Majhi will join Dr. Lahiri at the launch of the Udyami Odisha MSME programme and the WEP Odisha Chapter. The post, originally in Odia, states that the occasion will also see the unveiling of a one-year work plan for the WEP Odisha Chapter, along with the launch of various programmes in partnership with stakeholder organisations. Additionally, inauguration and foundation-stone laying ceremonies for several public-facing projects are scheduled as part of the event.

The Women's Entrepreneurship Platform was launched nationally by NITI Aayog in 2018 to provide women entrepreneurs with access to mentoring, funding, and ecosystem linkages. The Odisha chapter represents an extension of this national initiative at the state level, aligning it with Odisha's own MSME policy architecture.

Policy Backdrop

Odisha has pursued successive MSME policies — in 2016 and 2022 — focused on credit access, technology adoption, and market support for micro, small, and medium enterprises. The Udyami Odisha programme sits within this broader framework, aimed at strengthening the state's MSME ecosystem and creating sustainable livelihoods.

The participation of NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Dr. Ashok Kumar Lahiri signals the Centre's active engagement in co-implementing national platforms at the state level. This pattern of state-centre coordination on entrepreneurship has been visible across multiple Indian states since 2018, reflecting a shared policy priority to increase women's participation in the formal economy through enterprise support.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of the event's outcomes are women entrepreneurs and MSME units across Odisha. The WEP Odisha Chapter's one-year work plan is expected to outline specific targets for mentoring, capacity building, and financial linkages for women-led businesses in the state.

Multiple stakeholder organisations are set to partner with the WEP Odisha Chapter for various programmes being launched at the event. The simultaneous inauguration and foundation-stone laying of public-facing projects is designed to demonstrate tangible, on-ground delivery alongside the policy-level announcements.

What's Next

The rollout of the WEP Odisha Chapter's one-year work plan will be closely watched as a measure of the state's commitment to scaling women's entrepreneurship support. Progress on MSME credit disbursements and infrastructure milestones tied to the projects inaugurated at this event will serve as key indicators of implementation momentum.

With both state and central leadership present at the launch, the event sets a high-visibility baseline for accountability — making subsequent reporting on WEP Odisha milestones and Udyami Odisha outcomes politically and administratively significant for CM Majhi's government.