Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi held crucial discussions with World Bank President Ajay Banga on measures to strengthen cooperation between the State and the international financial institution across key development sectors and to advance the State’s long-term growth and reform agenda.
Senior officials of the State Government, including Chief Secretary of Odisha Anu Grag, Development Commissioner DK Singh, and the representatives of the World Bank, attended the meeting held at the Lokaseva Bhavan in Bhubaneswar Thursday.
According to an official statement by the Chief Minister’s Office, the discussions focused on accelerating inclusive and sustainable development, skilling India’s youth for private sector jobs, enhancing infrastructure, improving social sector outcomes, and promoting resilient and technology-driven growth.
During the meeting, CM Majhi highlighted the state government’s flagship initiatives and reform measures aimed at improving growth, such as by enhancing investment in infrastructure, micro, small and medium enterprises, agriculture and allied sectors and tourism, thereby creating employment opportunities especially for youth and women.
Odisha has reformed acts and rules to make it business-friendly and therefore has attracted huge investments. It has ranked second only to Andhra Pradesh with Rs 2.5 lakh crore investment as per December 2025 figures published by CMIE.
The President of the World Bank appreciated the State’s development efforts and reform orientation. Banga also congratulated the state for its focus on skill building to create more private sector jobs for the state’s youth.
A new World Bank Group-India strategic plan will build on examples like the Central Tool Room and Training Centre (CTTC), Bhubaneshwar, by contributing to India’s $4 billion national initiative to upgrade Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
He reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to supporting the State through technical assistance, policy advisory services, and financial cooperation. The World Bank President also emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional capacity and fostering public-private partnerships.
Both sides exchanged views on global and regional economic challenges and the need for collaborative approaches to address issues such as building infrastructure, managing urbanisation and sustainable resource management. They agreed to explore new areas of cooperation aligned with the State’s development priorities and the World Bank’s strategic objectives.
The Chief Minister also shared the Odisha vision document with the President World Bank. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to deepen collaboration and explore new avenues of cooperation aligned with “Odisha vision 2036 and 2047: Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat” and the World Bank’s strategic framework.
IANS
