Odisha Inks 5-Year MOU with SELCO to Empower 6 Southern Districts

22 Sep 2026, 11:37 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

A targeted five-year initiative aimed at transforming rural livelihoods, healthcare access, and clean energy adoption across southern Odisha has formally taken off following a bilateral agreement between the state administration and the SELCO Foundation.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), finalized on September 21 in Bhubaneswar, centers on establishing local service nodes known as ‘Seva Hubs.’ These hubs will identify on-ground community requirements, build local capacity, streamline bureaucratic coordination, and link target groups with essential financial services alongside modern technologies.

District Reach and Targeted Beneficiaries

The program’s first phase will roll out across six southern districts:

Kalahandi
Rayagada
Gajapati
Koraput
Nabarangpur
Malkangiri

Implementation will cut across critical grassroots priorities, including sustainable livelihoods, nutrition, healthcare delivery, clean energy access, climate resilience, vocational skilling, rural entrepreneurship, and indigenous innovation.

The strategic alliance is structured to fortify existing state welfare and development programs through direct technical expertise, technological deployment, innovation models, and institutional capacity building.

In practice, the framework will deliver training, tools, and market linkages to:

Smallholder farmers and rural artisans
Women and self-help groups (SHGs)
Tribal communities and indigenous innovators
Youth and aspiring rural entrepreneurs
Persons with disabilities

High-Level Oversight and Strategic Vision

The formal pact was signed by Commissioner-cum-Secretary Girish S.N. and SELCO Foundation Chief Finance Officer V.K. Joby, in the presence of Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg.

The proceedings also drew high-level institutional participation, with former NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer B.V.R. Subrahmanyam and SELCO Foundation founder Harish Hande joining the deliberations virtually.

Reviewing the roadmap, Chief Secretary Garg tied the initiative directly to the foundational goals of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047, describing prosperity, well-being, and social equality as the three core pillars of that vision. She emphasized that bridging regional gaps across southern Odisha demands an integrated, multi-stakeholder operational approach.

To maintain delivery timelines and accountability over the five-year operational span, Garg mandated a two-tier monitoring framework. The Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department will conduct monthly reviews of the program’s field progress, supplemented by biannual high-level evaluations chaired directly by the Chief Secretary.