Bhubaneswar: A high-level delegation from the World Bank today visited the Odisha capital to observe and understand the state government’s flagship urban initiatives under the Housing & Urban Development Department. The delegation was received by Housing & Urban Development Department Principal Secretary Usha Padhee,
who led an elaborate presentation on Odisha’s urbanization and development roadmap, highlighting progress across water supply, sanitation, urban mobility, affordable housing, and citizen-centric governance. The visiting team included Johannes Zutt (Regional Vice President), Imad Fakhoury (Director), Keiko Inoue (South Asia Practice Manager, Education), Aparnaa Somanathan (South Asia Practice Manager, health & Social Protection), Soumya Kapoor Mehta (Senior Economist) and Kritika Singh (Country Management Team).