Bhubaneswar: To strengthen climate resilience and promote sustainable growth, the state govt on Thursday began a two-day workshop on ‘Leveraging Blue and Green Economy for a Resilient Future’ in Bhubaneswar.Organised by the State Sustainable Development Goals cell of the planning and convergence department, the workshop brought together senior policymakers, experts from national institutions, academics, representatives of UN agencies and civil society organisations to deliberate on pathways for sustainable development in Odisha.The initiative seeks to integrate blue and green economy approaches with the state’s long-term development vision of Viksit Odisha @2036, focusing on climate resilience, inclusive growth and livelihood security.Addressing the inaugural session, development commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh emphasised the role of green economy in balancing economic development with environmental sustainability. He underlined the need for policy innovation and cross-sectoral coordination to ensure long-term resilience amid growing climate challenges.Ashish Chaturvedi, head of environment, energy and resilience pillar at UNDP India, highlighted India’s commitment to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through structured blue and green economy frameworks.The workshop features six technical sessions with 21 speakers from institutions, including NITI Aayog, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, IIT-Bhubaneswar, Berhampur University, Marine Products Export Development Authority and UNDP India.Discussions on the first day revolved around key pillars of the green economy, including green jobs, climate-smart agriculture, water security, environmental financing and responsible consumption and production.
