Bhubaneswar: A high-level secretaries’ meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, was held at Kharavela Bhawan Saturday to review key administrative, financial and development issues, with departments directed to ensure timely action and better coordination. Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, along with Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Commissioners and Secretaries of various departments, attended the meeting.
At the outset, Garg expressed concern over recent fire incidents at various locations and directed all departments to inspect electrical wiring in government buildings. She emphasised regular equipment checks, necessary upgrades, and strict adherence to safety standards to prevent accidents.
The Finance department presented the current financial status for 2025–26, with discussions focusing on expenditure trends and revenue targets in line with the approved Budget. Spending in social sector departments, including Agriculture, Farmers’ Empowerment, Cooperation and Energy, has increased compared to the same period last year.
The meeting was informed that overall revenue collection has reached 78.77 per cent of the target, and departments were asked to expedite spending and collections to meet goals by the end of March. Infrastructure-related departments also presented their expenditure progress. The “We Will Know Our Budget” outreach initiative for the 2026–27 Budget was also reviewed, with a decision to hold awareness meetings from the state to village level to inform citizens about state and central development programmes in Odisha.
The initiative aims to ensure transparency and effective implementation of welfare schemes. The meeting also reviewed progress in filling vacant government posts, with a target of 65,000 appointments by June. So far, 41,063 posts have been filled, and the Public Administration and Public Grievances department said steps are underway to complete recruitment within the stipulated timeframe.
Garg also reviewed progress on key directives issued by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, including the 15-point action plan and flagship initiatives under the “36 for 36” roadmap aligned with Odisha Vision 2036 and Developed India 2047 goals.