Bhubaneswar urban conclave opens with housing and service-delivery agenda

The National Urban Conclave opened in Bhubaneswar on October 24, bringing together more than 1,200 participants for discussions on city planning, institutions and service delivery. The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry says the second edition runs on October 24–25 with support from Odisha and the National Institute of Urban Affairs as knowledge partner.

Its theme is rethinking urban systems, solutions and delivery. The opening-day programme includes public officials, mayors, urban local bodies, development authorities, researchers, industry and civil society.

Tools and publications launched

The ministry lists an updated PMAY-U 2.0 mobile application among the launches. It also reports a knowledge-management and capacity-building platform for water and waste sectors, town-planning handbooks for Odisha, and an advisory on construction and demolition waste management. These are tools and guidance described at the event, not proof that every city has implemented them.

Seven areas of discussion

The first-day agenda covers safer walking, water and resource efficiency, affordable housing, integrated infrastructure delivery, municipal services, model building bye-laws and municipal law. Sessions consider matters such as continuous footpaths, rental accommodation, agency coordination and stronger municipal capacity.

The immediate development is the opening of the conclave and release of supporting resources. Discussion of changes to model laws or approvals should not be confused with their adoption by a particular state or municipality. The ministry's account provides a policy agenda rather than a completed service-delivery outcome for individual residents.

Source acknowledgment: Press Information Bureau (PIB), release 2328052, October 24, 2026.