Bhubaneswar: Odisha needs to shift its focus from merely spending funds on climate-related programmes to ensuring measurable outcomes, former Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said at the Earth Again Conference 2026 organised by Sambad at Utkal University in Bhubaneswar.

Speaking during the session on Climate Governance, Mohapatra stressed the need for better coordination among government departments and close monitoring of climate action plans at the grassroots level.

He said climate change response has two major components, adaptation and mitigation. Given Odisha’s vulnerability to natural disasters every year, adaptation should be the state’s top priority, he said.

“Reducing losses and adapting to changing circumstances should receive the highest priority in Odisha,” Mohapatra said.

He pointed out that a high-level steering committee involving around 11 departments is responsible for coordinating climate-related action in the state. Odisha is implementing a 10-year Climate Change Action Plan for 2021-2030, but its implementation needs to be closely monitored at the grassroots level, he said.

Mohapatra said the committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary, should meet regularly to review the targets set by each department, budget allocations and, most importantly, the actual outcomes of the programmes.

“Merely spending the allocated money is not enough. The benefits and outcomes must be visible on the ground,” he said.

He said the success of government measures should ultimately be judged by their ability to prevent loss of life during disasters.

However, Mohapatra expressed concern that people continue to lose their lives due to incidents such as lightning strikes and even relatively minor floods. Such deaths indicate that more needs to be done to strengthen disaster preparedness and climate adaptation measures, he said.

He emphasised that effective inter-departmental coordination, continuous monitoring and outcome-based implementation would be essential for Odisha to deal with the growing challenges posed by climate change.