Principal Secretary Leads Key Directives on Digitisation and Infrastructure

The meeting, chaired by Principal Secretary of the Works Department, Sanjay Kumar Singh, brought together senior departmental officials to align on critical priorities.

Singh thoroughly reviewed ongoing initiatives, issuing firm directives aligned with Chief Minister’s key focus areas. He mandated that all government operations—including official correspondence, letters, and orders—must now be conducted exclusively in Odia to promote linguistic heritage and administrative uniformity.

Push for Employment and Swift Promotions
Stressing the state government’s unwavering commitment to job creation, Singh instructed officials to fast-track recruitment for vacant positions and process promotions for eligible officers immediately, aiming to boost workforce efficiency.

Full Shift to Digital Platforms via OSWAS
In a tech-forward push, Singh highlighted how outdated file-based systems breed delays in this digital age. He ordered a complete transition of government workflows and file movements to online platforms, particularly the OSWAS system—a robust e-governance tool that has digitized over 90% of secretariat processes since 2013, slashing paperwork and enhancing transparency.

Accelerating Critical Infrastructure Projects
Discussions centered on ensuring timely completion of vital projects. Highlights included:

• 37 road works in Bhubaneswar for traffic decongestion (e.g., Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan routes).
• Major highways like Koraput-Jeypore and Brahmapur-Jeypore.
• Strategic corridors such as the Namo Expressway (part of the 710-km Nagpur-Mumbai link with Odisha connectivity) and Atal Expressway (under Bharatmala Phase II, eyed for 2026 finish).
• Multiple pipeline projects for urban water supply.

Officials brainstormed solutions to hurdles like land acquisition, forest clearances, and utility relocations, committing to meet deadlines.

Key Attendees
Participants included Engineer-in-Chief-cum-Special Secretary L.K. Padhi, Additional Secretaries Deepak Ranjan Das and Pradeep Sahu, EIC Dhyan Chand Nayak, Chief Engineer (Buildings) Priyabrata Samantaray, Chief Engineer (NH-1) Narayan Patel, Chief Engineer (NH-2) Deepak Panigrahi, Chief Engineer (Bridges) Aravind Tripathy, Joint Secretary Diptiranjan Behera, Financial Advisor Ratikant Mohapatra, and other senior officers.