Bhubaneswar, January 21:A meeting chaired by Anu Garg, Chief Secretary of Odisha, was held today at Lok Seva Bhawan to review and propel the implementation of key Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) initiatives, including the District Business Reform Action Plan 2025 (DBRAP 2025), BRAP 2026, and Deregulation Phase II.

The meeting was attended by the Heads of 24 Government Departments of Odisha. During the session, the Chief Secretary underscored the state's commitment to EoDB as a strategic priority, aligning with national reform goals aimed at enhancing the investment climate and fostering sustainable economic growth.

The Chief Secretary urged departments to maintain the momentum of reforms from previous cycles, ensuring timely, coordinated, and result-oriented implementation of ongoing initiatives.

Key EoDB initiatives discussed during the meeting include:

• DBRAP 2025:With 154 reform points, this initiative focuses on strengthening district-level delivery of approvals, inspections, and investor services, ensuring uniform implementation of reforms across districts, and institutionalizing EoDB practices at the grassroots level.
• BRAP 2026:This initiative covers reforms across nine areas, with a focus on process re-engineering, system integration, and inter-departmental coordination to enhance regulatory efficiency and predictability.
• Deregulation Phase II: Encompassing 23 priority areas and 7 optional areas, this initiative aims to simplify regulations, rationalize licenses and compliance, and foster trust-based governance.

The meeting also emphasized the importance of inter-departmental collaboration, leveraging institutional support mechanisms, and aligning efforts towards measurable improvements in compliance, transparency, and efficiency. The Government of Odisha reiterated its commitment to strengthening the reform framework to position the state as a preferred investment and business destination.

Present at the meeting were Development Commissioner-cum-ACS Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to Home, Industry and I&PR Hemant Sharma, ACS for Labour and ESI, Science & Technology Deptt. Chithra Arumugum, along with other Principal Secretaries and Commissioner-cum-Secretaries from various departments.