Planning board to carry out study to revive state’s economy

Bhubaneswar: The state planning board, which has been lying defunct for more than a decade, has woken up to help the state government revive the economy hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Officials said the apex plan body of the state government will soon carry out a detailed study on repurposing Odisha’s economy during the current pandemic and thereafter with focus on different sectors.
An internal meeting of the board was held on Thursday and chaired by its deputy chairman Sanjay Das Burma. It was also attended by senior government officers, including development commissioner Suresh Mohapatra.
“The study will focus on four key areas that have the potential to boost the economy. These are agriculture and rural economy, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), public health and industry, tourism and other aspects. We will hold consultations with professional experts, economists and senior officers who have handled the state’s affairs and economy for a long period and prepare the report,” Das Burma said.
As far as the agriculture sector is concerned, the focus will be on sustainable agriculture and increasing farmers’ income through different strategies like crop diversification, use of technology and providing better marketing linkage. The agriculture sector contributes about 20% to Odisha’s gross state domestic product. Nearly 70% of the state’s population depends on this sector.
The planning board has stressed on appropriate policies by the state government to help the MSMEs, which plays a key role in generating employment. The officials said the study will include rural enterprises and street vendors.
As the pandemic has forced governments to focus on public health, the planning board study will recommend measures to strengthen the public health system at all levels — primary, secondary and tertiary.
Discussions were also held to find out a revival strategy for the industry and tourism sectors, the growth of which is crucial for the state’s economy and employment generation.
It was decided in the meeting that the Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies will be entrusted as the nodal agency to carry out the study.
While chief minister Naveen Patnaik is the chairperson of the state planning board, a senior leader who enjoys the status and rank of a cabinet minister, has been appointed as its deputy chairperson, The board had last met in October 2007.