NewDelhi: Odisha’s reform initiatives in transport and road safety have highly lauded at the Transport Development Council (TDC) Meeting held here on 7th and 8th January 2026 at Bharat Mandap. The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and was chaired by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
Odisha Principal Secretary, Commerce & Transport Department, Usha Padhee, presented Odisha’s overall transport and road safety scenario at the meeting, highlighting the State’s pioneering initiatives in road safety, digital transport governance, driver training and technology-enabled enforcement. Transport Commissioner Amitav Thakur also attended the meeting as part of the Odisha delegation.
During the meeting, Odisha reported 100 per cent readiness for the rollout of PM–RAHAT, the cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims providing coverage up to ₹1.5 lakh. The State has become the first in the country to achieve two-way integration of e-DAR and CCTNS, enabling seamless coordination among police, health and transport systems. This milestone, achieved in collaboration with NIC, IIT Madras and MoRTH, was highly appreciated.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways lauded Odisha’s flagship road safety initiatives such as SUVAHAK, AMA SUVAHAK, SUVAHAK SUVIDHA, Rakshak and Junior Rakshak. It was noted that the proposed national Sadak Suraksha Mitra programme has drawn inspiration from similar community-based initiatives successfully implemented in Odisha.
Although Odisha qualifies for two Institutes of Driving Training and Research (IDTRs) under the centrally sponsored scheme, the State has already established four IDTRs. MoRTH described these IDTRs as among the best in the country and indicated that additional centres may be considered in future.
Recognising Odisha’s technical expertise and reform-driven governance, MoRTH included the State in the high-level Committee of Secretaries constituted to frame and fine-tune pan-India transport rules and amendments. These include reforms relating to Automated Testing Stations (ATS), Vehicle Location Tracking Devices (VLTD), PUCC, permit reforms, licence deduplication and amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act and CMVR.MoRTH advised Odisha to further strengthen implementation of VLTD and High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) and expressed concern over low PUCC coverage.
The State has taken note of these observations and committed to intensified enforcement and awareness measures.Odisha’s progress in faceless and visit-less transport services was also appreciated, with 34 out of 38 Aadhaar-linked services already operational. The State’s compliance under the Voluntary Vehicle Fleet Modernisation Programme (VVMP) was commended.The State also showcased its Integrated Road Safety Dashboard for district-level monitoring and the Ghat Road Warning System developed in collaboration with IIT Bhubaneswar to alert drivers at blind curves on ghat roads.
The Transport Development Council Meeting reaffirmed Odisha’s position as a leading State in road safety, transport digitisation and governance reforms, with several of its initiatives contributing to national-level transport policy and programme design.
