​​​​​​​Bhubaneswar, August 3:The State-Level Project Monitoring Committee (SLPMC), chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, on Monday approved the Project Proposal Report (PPR) for the development of the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack–Puri–Paradip City Economic Region (BKPPER). The meeting also held detailed discussions on taking the project forward under the Externally Aided Projects (EAP)framework.

Under the first phase of the Government of India's City Economic Region (CER)initiative, the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack–Puri–Paradip Economic Region has been selected as one of four pilot economic regions in the country. An initial project assistance of Rs 5,000 crore has been proposed for the region. Of this, 70 per cent (Rs 3,500 crore)will be financed through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), while the remaining 30 per cent (Rs 1,500 crore) will be provided under the Centre's CER scheme.

The primary objective of the project is to develop Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, and Paradip as an integrated economic region to accelerate investment, industrial growth, tourism, logistics, port-based industries, knowledge-driven economy, and employment generation. Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the project would serve as a major step towards achieving the goals of Odisha Vision 2036 and Vision 2047.

The proposed BKPPER region covers19 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)across the districts of Khurda, Cuttack, Puri, and Jagatsinghpur.

The project includes several key initiatives such as an integrated regional mobility system, smart and climate-resilient urban infrastructure, expansion of public transport, multimodal transport hubs, housing for the workforce, development of New Bhubaneswar, urban redevelopment, riverfront and waterbody development, port-led industrial growth, and the establishment of knowledge and healthcare hubs.

Following the committee's approval, the project proposal will be uploaded to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA)portal under the Ministry of Finance for further appraisal and approval.

The meeting was attended by Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Housing and Urban Development Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee, Finance Department Principal Secretary Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra, Director of Municipal Administration Arindam Dakua, along with senior officials from various departments.