Bhubaneswar — India’s Economic Survey 2025–26 has spotlighted Odisha as a benchmark for inclusive and sustainable development, identifying the eastern state’s policy innovations and economic progress as instructive for other regions seeking resilient growth trajectories. The findings were tabled in Parliament ahead of the forthcoming Union Budget, positioning Odisha’s structural reforms within a broader national narrative of equitable prosperity. The survey’s analysis of state-level outcomes underscores strides across economic, social and environmental metrics. Odisha’s estimated Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) reached around ₹7.90 lakh crore in the 2024–25 fiscal year, up from approximately ₹6.99 lakh crore a year earlier, with growth exceeding 13 per cent. Per capita income also climbed significantly, signalling material improvements in living standards.
Economists note that such growth is meaningful not only for its pace but for its multi-sector reach. Agriculture remains pivotal, with the state now among India’s leading producers of key crops. Financial inclusion indicators, such as rising bank deposits, reflect deeper formalisation of savings and credit access across diverse communities. Urban planners and policy analysts point to reforms in urban and labour governance as central to Odisha’s performance. Revised building bye-laws and labour policies boosting women’s workforce participation exemplify efforts to align regulatory frameworks with inclusive economic goals. Initiatives in urban waste management, combining community engagement with advanced technologies such as bio-mining, further illustrate how sustainable practices are being woven into infrastructure planning. Skill development programmes have also attracted national attention. A strategic overhaul of technical training institutions — anchored in converged state-level initiatives — has enhanced employability and industry relevance. This “fix, accelerate, scale” model, which revitalised Industrial Training Institutes and expanded advanced training capacity, was highlighted as a potential template for replication beyond Odisha.
The survey’s recognition extends into high-technology sectors. Odisha’s engagement with semiconductor manufacturing and related supply chain acceleration under national missions reflects an ambition to integrate advanced manufacturing into its economic fabric. Such positioning may prove critical as India seeks resilience in strategic industries. However, experts caution that headline accolades must be contextualised within persistent challenges. Infrastructure gaps, urban housing shortages, and climate vulnerabilities — especially in coastal zones — require sustained investment and integrated planning. Long-term resilience will hinge on synchronising growth with environmental imperatives, including water security and low-carbon urban mobility. For investors and markets, Odisha’s survey recognition signals stability and policy continuity. Sector observers believe transparent regulatory frameworks and proactive skill ecosystems can enhance the state’s attractiveness for greenfield investment across manufacturing, logistics and urban services.
While the Economic Survey’s findings cast Odisha as a model of inclusive development, urban development specialists stress that replicable success depends on context-specific implementation. Bridging rural–urban divides, scaling resilient infrastructure, and ensuring equitable access to opportunities remain central to translating growth metrics into sustainable, people-centred outcomes.
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Odisha Economic Survey Highlights Inclusive Sustainable Growth
