TNI Bureau: In a significant administrative move aimed at strengthening decentralized planning and governance, the Odisha Government has announced the appointment of Chairpersons for District Planning Committees (DPCs) across all 30 districts. The appointments include a mix of Ministers and MLAs, reinforcing the state’s focus on district-level development and coordinated planning.

District Planning Committees play a crucial role in consolidating rural and urban plans and preparing integrated development strategies for each district, as mandated under Article 243ZD of the Constitution.

Full List of District Planning Committee Chairpersons

The following leaders have been appointed as Chairpersons for their respective districts:

Angul: Shri Ashok Mohanty
Balangir: Shri Laxman Bag
Balasore: Shri Padmalochan Panda
Bargarh: Shri Ashwini Kumar Sarangi
Bhadrak: Shri Sitanshu Sekhar Mohapatra
Boudh: Shri Kanhai Charan Dang
Cuttack: Shri Chhabi Mallick
Deogarh: Shri Suresh Pujari (Minister, Revenue & Disaster Management)
Dhenkanal: Ms. Simarani Nayak
Gajapati: Shri Prithviraj Harichandan (Minister, Works, Excise & Law)
Ganjam: Shri Purna Chandra Sethi
Jagatsinghpur: Shri Amarendra Das
Jajpur: Shri Akash Dashnayak
Jharsuguda: Shri Tankadhar Tripathy
Kalahandi: Shri Sudhir Ranjan Pattjoshi
Kandhamal: Shri Uma Charan Mallick
Kendrapara: Dr. Durga Prasan Nayak
Keonjhar: Dr. Fakir Mohan Naik
Khordha: Shri Prasanta Kumar Jagadev
Koraput: Shri Raghuram Machha
Malkangiri: Shri Narsinga Madkami
Mayurbhanj: Shri Bhaskar Madhei
Nabarangpur: Shri Gouri Shankar Majhi
Nayagarh: Shri Dusmanta Kumar Swain
Nuapada: Shri Jay Dholkia
Puri: Shri Om Prakash Mishra
Rayagada: Shri Nityananda Gond (Minister, ST & SC Development, M&BCW, School & Mass Education)
Sambalpur: Shri Krushna Chandra Patra (Minister, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare, Science & Technology)
Subarnapur: Shri Raghunath Jagadala
Sundargarh: Shri Durga Charan Tanti

The appointment of experienced political leaders, including key ministers, is expected to enhance coordination between various departments and accelerate implementation of development schemes at the grassroots level. By placing elected representatives at the helm, the government aims to ensure better accountability and responsiveness to local needs.

With these appointments, Odisha has reinforced its district-level planning framework, which is critical for inclusive growth, efficient resource allocation, and balanced regional development.

This move is likely to play a pivotal role in shaping the state’s development trajectory in the coming years.