BHUBANESWAR: On New Year’s Day, Thursday, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi issued a 15-point directive to newly appointed chief secretary Anu Garg, setting an aggressive agenda to make the administration more dynamic, clean and people-centric.Aligning the instructions with Odisha Vision 2036 and 2047, Majhi asked the bureaucracy to prioritise knowledge-driven industries and the services sector, fast-track clearances for rapid industrial growth, enforce zero tolerance to corruption, ensure exclusive use of Odia in official communication, and strengthen grievance redressal across all levels.

“The govt must act swiftly over the next 2 years to achieve the goals outlined in the Vision Document, which aims to transform Odisha into a prosperous state with a $500-billion economy by 2036 and place it among India’s top 5 developed states through a mixed-economy model,” Majhi said.The directive asks district collectors to expedite all processes linked to industrial development. It also calls for filling all vacant posts within 2 years and deploying skilled and efficient officers in key roles. Majhi instructed the bureaucracy to identify corrupt, inefficient or irresponsible officials and take strict action — including compulsory retirement — under Article 311 of the Constitution and the Odisha Service Rules.The CM emphasised continuous reviews and evaluations of govt schemes, and ordered the strengthening of the Bhubaneswar-based Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies as a centre of excellence for research and assessment.Reinforcing the govt’s push for the primacy of Odia, Majhi directed that all official work — notices, announcements and correspondence — must be done exclusively in Odia, from the Secretariat down to the block level. Non-compliance, he warned, would invite action, a statement issued by the CM office said.Majhi also laid strong emphasis on timely grievance redressal. Officers at all levels — Secretariat, district, block and tehsil — were asked to hear public grievances with seriousness and resolve them promptly, including through social-media-based mechanisms.Field visits were made mandatory for officials to assess issues on the ground. Reports from these visits will be factored into their performance evaluations.The 15-point directive is being seen as the chief minister’s attempt to energise the administrative system at the start of the new year.