Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday, 18 July 2026, chaired a high-level review meeting with the newly appointed chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of the state's Special Development Councils (SDCs) at the Lok Seva Bhavan Convention Centre, Bhubaneswar. The session focused on accelerating tribal welfare scheme delivery and ensuring cultural preservation across Odisha's Scheduled Areas.

Context

Addressing the newly inducted council leadership, CM Majhi underscored that Odisha's tribal brothers and sisters — 'janajati bhai-bhauṇi' [tribal brothers and sisters] — represent a significant and honourable share of the state's population whose art, language, and culture bring pride to the entire nation. He reaffirmed the government's complete commitment to both their holistic development and the protection of their distinct cultural heritage.

The Chief Minister invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guiding principle of 'Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi' ['Development as well as Heritage'], framing it as the philosophical anchor for all tribal-welfare interventions in the state.

Policy Backdrop

The review meeting examined the ground-level implementation of several flagship programmes. These include the Shaheed Madho Singh Haat Kharch Yojana — which supports tribal communities with market-access and weekly-market expenses — and the Mukhyamantri Janajati Jibika Mission, a state livelihood mission targeting economic empowerment of tribal households.

Technical education reservations for tribal students and the full suite of central and state tribal welfare schemes were also on the agenda, with the meeting conducting a comprehensive review of how each programme can be made more effective at the field level. The 'Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi' framework, articulated by PM Modi from 2023 onward in national addresses, has provided the broader policy lineage within which Odisha's BJP government has been aligning its tribal outreach since June 2024.

Stakeholders and Impact

Odisha's Scheduled Tribe population accounts for over one-fifth of the state's total population and is concentrated in the state's Scheduled Areas, where last-mile service delivery has historically been a challenge. The Special Development Councils are the state's dedicated institutional mechanism for focused development in these regions, making the calibre and field commitment of their leadership a direct determinant of welfare outcomes.

CM Majhi told the new appointees that governance is not a means of exercising power but a sacred responsibility — rooted in the values of Antyodaya [service to the last person in the queue] — to serve the poorest at the very end of the line. He directed them to adopt a 'Yes, We Can' attitude, prioritising action over words and conducting regular grassroots-level visits to tribal areas.

Council members were also advised to patiently listen to local and regional problems of the people, and then resolve them through proper coordination with district administrations and departmental officials — creating a structured feedback loop between community grievances and administrative response.

What's Next

The Chief Minister tied the meeting's outcomes to Odisha's 2036 Vision, expressing confidence that through collective cooperation and sincere effort, the state's development trajectory can be elevated to a new height and the vision achieved successfully. Field visits by the newly appointed SDC leadership and their coordination reports with district administrations will be the first measurable indicators of whether the directives translate into on-ground change.

Any state budget allocations or policy reviews specifically linked to the 2036 Vision will be closely watched as the government seeks to demonstrate that its tribal welfare commitments move from meeting rooms to village-level impact.