Bhubaneswar to Host 19th Urban Mobility India Conference

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, working with the Government of Odisha, is holding two national urban events at Hotel Mayfair Sanctuary in Bhubaneswar this week. The 19th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference and Exhibition 2026 runs on 23 and 24 October 2026, and the second edition of the National Urban Conclave follows on 24 and 25 October 2026. Details were shared at a curtain-raiser press conference in Bhubaneswar on 22 October 2026 by Additional Secretary Satinder Pal Singh and Joint Secretary Praveer Kumar of the ministry, along with Odisha Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee.

Themes and who opens them

The mobility conference carries the theme Urban Accessibility and Liveability in Digital Age, and the conclave will deliberate on Urban Rising - Rethinking Urban Systems, Solutions and Delivery. Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu will inaugurate the conclave in the presence of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi; NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Anurag Jain and NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba join as chief guests. The same minister opens the mobility conference and its exhibition, with Odisha Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra present.

Scale of the conference

• About 1,500 delegates, including Indian and foreign speakers, are expected at the 19th UMI Conference.
• Twenty-eight exhibitors from the Odisha government, metro rail companies and the public and private sectors will take part in the exhibition.
• Forty-six research papers were selected by a peer group; twenty will be presented orally and the remaining twenty-six as posters, and the best three win a cash award of Rs 25,000 each.

Policy backdrop

The Urban Mobility India Conference is an annual ministry initiative under the National Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), 2006, and is organised through the Institute of Urban Transport (India). Sessions will cover low-carbon public transport, integration of modes, first and last mile connectivity, Mobility as a Service and real-time satellite-based passenger solutions. The National Urban Conclave was set up as a yearly platform on the future of Indian cities and its first edition was held in New Delhi in November 2025. The National Institute of Urban Affairs is the knowledge partner for the conclave, with HUDCO and NBCC as principal sponsors.

Seven themes and Odisha's role

The conclave is built around seven subjects: Right to Walk; Water, Waste and Resource Efficiency; Affordable Housing; Integrated Urban Development and Infrastructure Delivery; New Paradigms for Urban Service Delivery; Model Building Bye-Laws; and Model Municipal Law. A meeting of urban development ministers of states and union territories is also scheduled. Odisha plans to launch PM e-Bus Sewa during the events and to release the ANKUR Handbook, town planning handbooks and a policy on government and privately owned public spaces.