Bhubaneswar: Odisha govt will soon establish the State Institute for Transformative Initiatives (Siti)-Odisha as an apex policy research and strategic advisory body, with chief minister heading its governing council.A resolution to this effect has been issued by the planning and convergence department — under whose administrative control it will operate — positioning Siti-Odisha as the state govt’s think tank to steer long-term development in line with Samrudha Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.The move comes after the state govt dissolved the State Planning Board on July 18, 2024, citing the need to move beyond conventional mechanisms.Officials said Siti-Odisha, promised in this year’s budget, will be on the lines of Niti Aayog at the national level.Siti-Odisha will provide a forward-looking institutional framework anchored in strategic policy thinking, innovation, cooperative federalism and outcome-based governance, a CMO statement said.According to the resolution, Siti-Odisha will advise the government across six thematic areas — economy and finance; rural economy and livelihoods; employment and urban development; ideation and innovation; energy transition; and environment, forests, mining and natural resources — aligning policy interventions with the state’s development priorities.The institute will be led by a governing council, chaired by the CM, and comprising a vice-chairperson, four full-time and nine ex-officio members, and two special invitees. It will meet at least once a year, with provisions for additional meetings as required.Under the proposed organizational structure, the vice-chairperson, in the rank of cabinet minister, will be appointed by the CM. Four persons of eminence with domain expertise in the rank of minister of state will serve as full-time members. The development commissioner-cum-additional chief secretary will function as the member secretary.The chief minister will also appoint a chief executive officer for a fixed tenure, in the rank of principal secretary or commissioner-cum-secretary from the IAS cadre. Siti-Odisha will be supported by a program director, multidisciplinary Project Implementation Unit and an administrative wing.An attached institution, State Monitoring and Evaluation Office, will function under Siti-Odisha as the nodal body for evidence-based governance and performance tracking of government programmes.It is expected to play a central role in providing strategic direction and policy coherence at the highest level of governance.
