Bhubaneswar, December 12: Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja chaired a high-level meeting with National Monuments Authority (NMA) Chairman Kishor Basa and his twin brother Ashok Basa, Chair, Strategic Planning Committee, World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), to discuss about the proposals they have submitted to President Droupadi Murmu recently.
For the context, the Basa brothers had called on the President on November 18 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a detailed proposal relating to Odisha, in their respective domains, for her kind consideration.
Development Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department Secretary Girish SN, Tourism Secretary Balwant Singh, ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Secretary B. Parameswaran, Odia Language, Literature & Culture Secretary Bijay Ketan Upadhyay, along with other senior officers of the State Government were present in the above meeting.
Prof. Kishor Basa in his letter addressed to the President focused on the socio-cultural and educational development of Mayurbhanj District.
His key submissions included the proposal for establishment of a National Institute of Tribal Development (NITD) at Rairangpur, under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, leveraging its strategic location near tribal-dominated regions of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
He also proposed for the creation of a National Centre for Jhumar at Baripada, recognizing the cultural significance of Jhumar, an important form of intangible cultural heritage practised across Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. He also requested for bringing the Archaeological Museum at Khiching under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for improved preservation, display and promotion, given its national importance. Prof. Basa highlighted the potential of these initiatives to strengthen tribal empowerment, heritage conservation and regional development.
Ashok Basa delivered a detailed technical presentation on the urgent need for reformation and restructuring of water governance in Odisha, as articulated in his letter submitted to the Hon’ble President. He highlighted the fact that India is facing an unprecedented water crisis, with projections indicating severe shortages by 2050 and significant impacts on GDP.
He added that, according to national vulnerability assessments, Odisha remains at high risk due to groundwater depletion, inefficient agricultural water uses and climate variability and, as such, proposed for the creation of the Odisha State Water Management Authority (OSWMA) as a nodal body to coordinate water demand and supply across departments.
He further added that there is a need for preparing a District-wise demand and supply balance sheet for water, by calculating the total demand on one side & the supply or the sources on other side.
He also underscored that timely and collective action is critical to securing the State’s water future, and that Odisha could serve as a pilot state for national-level water governance reforms and achieve the long-term vision of transforming Odisha into a “Water Surplus State by 2036”.
The Chief Secretary and senior Officers appreciated the depth of research, analysis and commitment reflected in the presentations by Prof. Kishor Basa and Er. Ashok Basa.
The proposals were acknowledged as significant contributions towards cultural preservation, tribal development and long-term water security for the State. The Chief Secretary directed concerned departments to examine the proposals in detail and initiate appropriate follow-up actions, particularly in areas relating to heritage conservation, tourism promotion, tribal welfare and water resource management.
