Odisha clears AI policy to bolster good governance; approves Rs 171 crore Joranda project

The AI Mission will have a two-tier structure with a taskforce and cell to drive cross-sector AI adoption and support pilot projects, said chief secretary Manoj Ahuja.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi (File Photo | Express)
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BHUBANESWAR: The state cabinet on Wednesday approved the Odisha Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy-2025 to improve governance, stimulate innovation, enhance data-driven decision-making and enable inclusive socioeconomic development.

The highlight of the policy approved at the cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi is creation of a dedicated AI Mission which will serve as the highest institutional mechanism to implement AI initiatives across departments, coordinate pilot projects and provide support to public agencies, startups and academic institutions.

The Mission will have a two-tier governance structure comprising a taskforce and a cell to drive cross-sectoral AI adoption and facilitate pilot projects, chief secretary Manoj Ahuja told mediapersons.

The chief secretary said the Mission will also identify high impact AI use cases across critical sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, education, climate change, disaster management and governance. The Mission has been mandated to work for AI-assisted disease prediction and screening, smart irrigation and crop diagnostics, multilingual AI tools for personalised education, predictive disaster response system and intelligent citizen engagement platforms.

The chief secretary said in line with global standards, the policy places emphasis on ethical and responsible deployment of AI. Besides, the policy proposes robust data governance frameworks and institutional mechanisms to prevent misuse, bias and harm. It also commits to align Odisha’s AI development with national and international best practices, he said.

The cabinet approved amendment to the Odisha Civil Service (Fixation of Upper Age Limit) Rules, 1989 to enhance the upper age limit for entry into government service to 42 years from 32 years. This amendment will not, however, be applicable to upper-age limit specifically prescribed for uniform services like police, fire services, forest and excise. The upper age limit, though, will be relaxable further in case of SC,ST, SEBC, women, ex-servicemen and persons with disabilities as decided by the government from time to time.

Besides, the cabinet approved the framing of Odisha Opthalmic Service (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2025. At present, 197 Ophthalmic assistants are working in different healthcare facilities of the state. Additional 141 posts in the base-level and 200 promotional posts will be created. With it, the base-level posts will increase to 338 taking the total to 538.

The cabinet also approved `171.11 crore for development work to be undertaken by Iron Triangle Limited at the Mahima Gadi at Joranda for construction of a new Shunya Mandap. The work will be completed in three years.

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