Bhubaneswar: CM Mohan Charan Majhi announced the formation of a Chief Minister’s Economic Advisory Council in the state budget on Friday. Sources said the proposed body will be Odisha’s equivalent of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, advising the CM on key economic and policy matters.The govt has also announced the creation of the State Institute for Transformative Initiatives — Odisha (SITI-Odisha), conceived as a state-level counterpart of Niti Aayog. It will support long-term strategic planning, development strategies and implementation of reforms.Among other initiatives, Majhi unveiled a State AI Mission with an outlay of Rs 23 crore to help departments integrate artificial intelligence into governance and service delivery. He said the mission will enable evidence-based policymaking, improve targeting of public services, and strengthen last-mile delivery.“This coordinated effort will create scalable, secure and reusable capabilities that improve service quality, transparency and citizen outcomes, contributing to the vision of Viksit Odisha 2036,” the CM said.
