Sundargarh / Bhubaneswar: December 18, 2025: Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department and Commerce & Transport Department, Government of Odisha, Smt. Usha Padhee, undertook a two-day visit to Sundargarh district to review the progress and implementation of various development projects and welfare schemes.
As part of the visit, the Principal Secretary inspected several areas across the district, interacted with beneficiaries, and assessed the on-ground status of programme execution. A detailed inter-departmental review meeting was held today at Saddhavna Bhawan, Sundargarh, with senior district officers and heads of line departments.
Addressing the meeting, Smt. Padhee stressed the need for strong inter-departmental coordination and teamwork to ensure effective delivery of public services. She emphasized regular field inspections, timely identification of implementation gaps, and immediate corrective action. Highlighting citizen-centric governance, she directed officials to ensure swift redressal of public grievances.
During the review, the Health Department presented an overview of the district’s health infrastructure and human resource requirements. The School and Mass Education Department discussed infrastructure development, Smart Classrooms, and PM SHRI Vidyalayas. The Principal Secretary emphasized improving academic outcomes through continuous student feedback and addressing subject-related doubts.
Various programmes of the Housing and Urban Development Department and WATCO were reviewed, with special focus on sanitation and potable drinking water supply. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Department and the Rural Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Department presented updates on their ongoing schemes, with emphasis laid on coordinated implementation among departments.
The District Welfare Department discussed infrastructure and manpower issues, with emphasis on maintaining cleanliness in hostels and toilets and promoting personal hygiene awareness among students. Other departments including Women and Child Development, District Supplies, TPWDL, Social Security and Cooperatives also presented updates on their respective programmes and challenges. Progress under Aspirational Blocks was also reviewed during the meeting.
The meeting was attended by Superintendent of Police Smt. Amritpal Kaur, Additional District Magistrate Sri Suraj Patnaik, Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer Sri Suranjan Sahu, Deputy Collector Smt. Tejaswini Behera, IAS Trainee Ms. Fabi Rashid, and other senior district and departmental officers.
Earlier in the day, Smt. Padhee visited various locations in Lathikata Block. She visited Tainsar Gram Panchayat, interacted with PRI members and officials, and reviewed development works. She also visited Tainsar High School, where she interacted with students and teachers. Later, she visited the Rural Industrial Park at Kuanramunda Block and observed livelihood activities undertaken by Self-Help Groups, interacting with SHG members and reviewing their initiatives
