The Odisha Cabinet on Monday, 8 June approved 10 major proposals spanning five departments, anchored by a landmark 'Land Bank for Hospitality Infrastructure' scheme that will earmark approximately 5,500 acres of investment-ready land across the state's top tourism destinations. The decisions were taken at a State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at Lok Seva Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.

Tourism Land Bank: What It Covers

The centrepiece of Monday's Cabinet session, the Tourism Land Bank scheme under the Department of Tourism is designed to eliminate the land-acquisition bottleneck that has long stalled large-scale hospitality investment in Odisha. According to the official state government statement, 'A major challenge in developing world-class tourism infrastructure has been the lack of readily available, contiguous, encroachment-free and investment-ready land parcels.'

Under the scheme, parcels drawn from both government and private holdings will be identified across 14-plus destinations — including Chilika, Konark, Puri (Shamuka), Dhauli, Hirakud, Satkosia, Similipal, Bhitarkanika, Daringbadi, Deomali, the Buddhist Circuit, Jiranga, Talsari, and Tampara-Aryapalli. Each parcel will be pre-developed with electricity, water supply, and road connectivity before being offered to investors.

Chief Secretary Anu Garg told reporters: 'We hope that this will be a big boost and will quicken the process of allotting land to such interested parties.'

₹500 Crore Waterfront Development Scheme

The Cabinet also cleared a ₹500 crore outlay over five years for a 'Waterfront Development Scheme' under the Housing and Urban Development Department. The scheme targets riverfronts and urban water bodies across selected cities, transforming them into publicly accessible and environmentally sustainable spaces.

Projects will be developed along the Mahanadi River in Cuttack and Sambalpur, as well as the Daya, Gangua, and Kuakhai rivers, the Budhabalang River in Baripada, the Baitarani River near Chandbali, and the Brahmani River near Vedvyas in Rourkela, with additional locations to follow in phases.

Chief Secretary Garg said the initiative would 'restore and rejuvenate river ecosystems, enhance urban liveability and promote tourism', adding that it was expected to generate fresh tourism potential alongside improving quality of urban life.

Women Workers' Hostel and Industrial Policy Amendments

In a move aimed at supporting the state's growing textile and apparel workforce, the Cabinet approved the construction of a women workers' hostel at Kalibeti Industrial Estate in Khordha at a project cost of ₹210.36 crore. The estate hosts manufacturing units of major brands including MAS Holdings, EPIC, and Indian Stitches.

The Cabinet also cleared amendments to the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2022 to channel investment into 15 industrially backward districts of the state, signalling a push to spread economic activity beyond established industrial corridors.

Broader Significance

Taken together, Monday's decisions reflect a deliberate state strategy to pair tourism-sector liberalisation with urban renewal and inclusive industrial growth. Notably, the land bank model — pre-clearing and infrastructure-enabling land before investor outreach — marks a structural departure from the traditional single-window approach, where land disputes frequently derailed projects mid-stream. This comes amid Odisha's broader effort to capitalise on its coastal and heritage tourism assets, which have historically punched below their weight relative to states like Rajasthan and Kerala. Implementation timelines and investor response will be closely watched in the months ahead.