Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a series of major development projects worth more than Rs 60,000 crore in Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Saturday. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi joined the event, where Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and the chief minister honored Modi.
These initiatives cover key areas like telecom connectivity, railways, higher education, healthcare, skill development, and rural housing, aiming to boost growth across the state.
In telecom, Modi launched over 97,500 4G mobile towers built with homegrown swadeshi technology at a cost of about Rs 37,000 crore. This includes more than 92,600 sites from BSNL. A big chunk—over 18,900 sites—comes from the Digital Bharat Nidhi fund, linking around 26,700 remote villages, border regions, and left-wing extremism-affected areas. These solar-powered towers will serve over 20 lakh new subscribers and form India’s largest cluster of green telecom infrastructure, pushing sustainable development forward.
Modi also laid the foundation stone for a key rail flyover at Sambalpur-Sarla and dedicated projects like the doubling of the Koraput-Baiguda line and the Manabar-Koraput-Gorapur line. These railway upgrades will speed up freight and passenger traffic in Odisha and nearby states, giving a lift to local industries and trade.
To top it off, he flagged off the Amrit Bharat Express train from Berhampur to Udhna in Surat. This affordable service connects states seamlessly, sparking tourism, jobs, and economic ties between key districts.
Healthcare got a major upgrade too. Modi laid the foundation for transforming MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Sambalpur into top-tier super-speciality hospitals. Expect more beds, trauma care units, dental colleges, better maternal and child health services, and stronger academic setups to serve Odisha’s people comprehensively.
He also rolled out BSNL’s Swadeshi 4G network, ensuring those 26,700 unconnected villages finally get reliable mobile access. On education, Modi started expansions at eight IITs, creating spots for 10,000 new students in the next four years. Plus, he launched Odisha government programs to ramp up technical education and skill development.
Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Majhi praised Modi for the Subhadra Yojana, which delivers Rs 10,000 annually to over one crore women in the state. “Since we formed the government, you’ve visited Odisha seven times,” Majhi said. “Last year, on your birthday, you launched this scheme for our mothers and sisters.”
Modi handed out sanction letters to 50,000 families under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, offering solid pucca houses and financial help to rural folks in need—like those with disabilities, widows, terminal illnesses, or natural disaster victims.
Chief ministers from eight states, including Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath, tuned in virtually. Several union cabinet ministers joined online as well.
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