Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Inventorying the gold ornaments, priceless diamonds, and other valuables kept in the Ratna Bhandar of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, will shortly start. Following a high-level review meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar on Monday, which was presided over by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, this was formally declared.
According to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mukesh Mahaling, the main goal of the discussion was to ensure that the House was conducted in a calm and organized manner. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who oversees the Finance ministry, is scheduled to propose the state budget for fiscal year 2026–2027 on February 20. The House will then start debating the various agencies’ financial recommendations.
Aside from this, the Temple Managing Committee has created a thorough Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which will be put into effect upon official government clearance. The inventory procedure will be carried out completely transparently and under strict security measures.
It should be mentioned that the Ratna Bhandar’s most recent inventory was completed in 1978. To create an updated and finalized list, officials will compare the assets with the 1978 data during the next exercise. According to officials, in order to guarantee appropriate record-keeping, a digital catalogue will be made and the entire procedure will be photographed.
The Rath Yatra preparations for this year were also discussed at the meeting. In order to guarantee a sustainable supply in the future, the Chief Minister instructed authorities to submit ideas for plantations of Phasi and sandalwood under forest development projects, given the significant need for these species for the building and ceremonies related to the yearly festival.
Among those present at the meeting were Puri District Collector Divyajyoti Parida, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Chief Minister’s Advisor Prakash Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Saswata Mishra, and Principal Secretary of the Law Department Pabitra Mohan Samal.
