Bhubaneswar: In a significant step towards strengthening urban governance through technology, the Housing & Urban Development (H&UD) Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Airawat Research Foundation (ARF) on Wednesday, in collaboration with the eGov Foundation.
The partnership aims to advance AI-enabled, citizen-centric urban governance by integrating data systems and deploying intelligent solutions to improve service delivery across the state’s urban ecosystem, the ARF said.
The collaboration will focus on augmenting property tax systems using AI-driven analytics to enhance efficiency and revenue optimisation. It will also work towards developing unified governance dashboards that provide real-time insights to administrators, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.
A key component of the initiative is the strengthening of Smart Integrated Command and Control Centres, which will function as regional digital hubs. In a post on X, the ARF said these centres will bring together data from multiple civic systems onto an integrated platform, ensuring smarter, faster, and more responsive public services.
Officials said the initiative represents a decisive move toward technology-driven governance, with a strong emphasis on transparency, accountability, and citizen responsiveness. By leveraging AI and data integration, the State aims to streamline urban management processes and enhance the overall quality of municipal services.
The engagement with ARF is expected to facilitate the design and implementation of scalable AI use cases tailored to Odisha’s urban needs. Meanwhile, the collaboration with eGov Foundation will strengthen digital systems and ensure seamless integration across platforms, the H&UD said.
