Daijiworld Media Network - Bhubaneswar
Bhubaneswar, Jun 20: President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for development projects worth more than Rs 47,600 crore in Odisha on Saturday.
President Murmu, who arrived in Odisha on Friday evening, will join Prime Minister Modi at Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district for the programme, marking a rare occasion where both leaders will participate together in a state development event.
The projects cover key sectors including energy, industrial infrastructure, roads, drinking water, healthcare, education, tourism and irrigation. The initiatives are being unveiled on the completion of two years of the BJP-led government in Odisha.
According to an official statement, the projects aim to strengthen infrastructure, improve connectivity, enhance energy security and generate employment opportunities across the state.
“Reflecting the Prime Minister’s vision of inclusive and holistic development, these initiatives will accelerate growth in tribal and rural regions and extend the benefits of development to every corner of the state,” the statement said.
Among the major projects for which foundation stones will be laid are the 600-MW Upper Indravati pumped storage project and the Stage-II expansion of the IB Thermal Power Station, which includes two 660-MW units.
The foundation stone of the Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL) project at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district will also be laid.
Other major projects include a 300-tonne-per-day municipal solid waste-based compressed biogas plant in Bhubaneswar, a bridge over the Kathajodi river connecting Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, widening of the Dhalpur-Harbhanga road in Boudh district, four-laning of the Nuapada-Ghatipada section of NH-353, the Kusumdihi mega lift irrigation project, an IGNOU regional centre and an indoor badminton complex at Rairangpur.
Prime Minister Modi will also dedicate two railway multi-tracking projects worth over Rs 732 crore to the nation.
The 19-km Jakhapura-Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Baitarani Road multi-tracking project, constructed at a cost of Rs 323 crore, is expected to reduce congestion on the busy Howrah-Chennai railway route and improve passenger and freight movement.
The 27-km Hindol Road-Meramandali multi-tracking project, completed at a cost of Rs 409 crore, will increase train handling capacity and support smoother movement of coal, steel, power sector materials and other industrial goods.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the 300-bed district headquarters hospital building at Boudh, 24 Atal bus stands and nine automated testing stations across different districts.
Other projects to be inaugurated include the Nayagarh town bypass on NH-57, the underground pipeline component of the Kusumi Smart Irrigation Project, and a sports complex and tribal research centre at Rairangpur.