Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday unveiled the economic development roadmap for the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER), projecting it as a key driver of growth for a “Vikshit Odisha” aligned with the Centre’s vision of a “Viksit Bharat”.
The event, held in the presence of NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba and CEO B.V.R. Subrahmanyam, marked Odisha’s formal entry into the Centre’s city economic region (CER) programme. The BCPPER, spanning 11,892sqkm across Khurda, Cuttack, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts, is the fifth such CER identified after Mumbai, Surat, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi.
Launching the plan, Majhi said the region contributes around 19 per cent to Odisha’s economy and currently has an economic size of $22.4 billion. “Our target is to scale it up to $500 billion by 2047,” he said.
Under the roadmap, Bhubaneswar will be developed as a technology hub, Cuttack as a commercial centre leveraging its trading legacy, Puri as a cultural and religious hotspot and Paradip as a node for port-led industrial growth.
To ensure coordinated development, the state will set up a dedicated economic region development authority to steer planning and implementation across the four districts.
The blueprint outlines over 80 projects across sectors such as tourism, education, IT, ports and logistics, manufacturing, textiles and handicrafts. It also proposes 30 policy interventions to fast-track implementation and attract private investment.
Among the signature proposals are integrated religious and cultural circuits, cruise terminals, wellness zones, wedding destinations and a flagship museum. The state also aims to position BCPPER as East India’s hub for higher education, skilling and deep-tech research.
The plan identifies infrastructure development as the backbone of the region’s future growth, with focus on ring roads, new city clusters, data centres, semiconductor hubs and other climate-resilient urban assets.
“Odisha will benefit significantly from the Centre’s support of ₹5,000 crore under the CER scheme. This will accelerate growth and job creation,” Majhi said.
NITI Aayog CEO Subrahmanyam added: “By 2047, over half of India’s population will reside in cities. Urban areas already contribute 70–80 per cent of India’s GDP. The BCPPER plan not only benefits Odisha but also strengthens India’s growth.”
However, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) dismissed the state government’s vision as “unrealistic” in the absence of concrete infrastructure groundwork.
Senior BJD leader and former minister Pratap Keshari Deb said: “How can you promise economic transformation without supporting key infrastructure projects? The same ministers who oppose the Bhubaneswar metro and the Puri airport are now selling rosy dreams.”
