In a major infrastructure push ahead of the panchayat elections scheduled next year, the Odisha Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved a package of road, bridge and rural connectivity schemes involving an investment of more than ₹32,000 crore over the next five years.
The initiatives aim to strengthen the rural road network, fill critical connectivity gaps, improve access to remote and difficult areas and create better links with neighbouring states, while also supporting irrigation and water needs through bridge-cum-weir projects.
The Cabinet cleared an estimated investment of ₹19,667 crore for road construction, improvement and connectivity schemes and ₹11,800 crore for bridge construction under the Setu Bandhan Yojana. Besides, ₹600 crore has been approved for constructing new bridge-cum-weir projects and completing ongoing projects. Altogether, seven proposals from the Rural Development Department received the Cabinet’s nod for the infrastructure programme, with expenditure spread up to 2030-31, depending on the individual scheme
The largest component of the road infrastructure push is the Mukhyamantri Sadak Yojana (MMSY), under which the government approved an outlay of ₹4,000 crore over five years. The programme will help build 4,607.21 km of new roads and complete 115 km of ongoing works.
The government also approved a separate ₹5,750 crore programme for improving existing rural roads. It will cover around 17,500 km of roads and upgrade the existing rural road network to meet growing communication and transportation needs, while improving access to hospitals, schools, colleges, panchayats, markets, tourist destinations and centres of trade and commerce.
Another major component is the ₹6,700 crore MMSY Transferred Roads Improvement Programme (TRIP). The programme aims to improve 25,500 km of roads transferred from the Panchayati Raj Department and other departments. These roads often serve remote settlements and provide links to essential institutions.
The Cabinet approved a new MMSY-Connecting Missing Road Links (CMRL) initiative with an outlay of ₹1,917 crore. The scheme will focus on bridging crucial gaps in inter-block, inter-district and inter-state road connectivity. The government plans to build 3,850 km of roads and construct connecting bridges and small cross-drainage structures wherever required under the programme.
A further ₹1,300 crore has been approved for 1,150 km of new roads under the MMSY-Connecting Unconnected Villages in Difficult Areas (CUVDA) programme. The scheme will focus on villages located in Left Wing Extremism-affected districts, difficult hilly areas and other remote locations, including difficult-to-access unconnected islands.
The bridge infrastructure push, meanwhile, will be driven primarily by the Setu Bandhan Yojana (SBY), which was originally launched as the Biju Setu Yojana in 2011-12 to bridge missing links in the rural road network. The programme also covers strategic and important Panchayat Samiti roads, besides creating an effective all-weather road network across the state.
The Cabinet approved an outlay of ₹11,800 crore for constructing 1,750 new bridges and completing 1,417 ongoing bridge projects. The schemes are expected to shorten travel distances between blocks and districts and improve connectivity with neighbouring states.
Anu Garg, chief secretary, said the scale of the investment makes it one of the Odisha government’s most ambitious long-term interventions in rural infrastructure. The Cabinet has approved seven proposals and five schemes as part of the infrastructure package, she said.
The government has specifically linked several schemes to improving access to health and education facilities, hospitals, schools, panchayats, markets and other institutions in difficult areas. The improved connectivity is expected to help integrate remote communities with the mainstream and facilitate the movement of people, goods and essential services,” Garg added.
