New Delhi, 20 June (H.S.): President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly visit Odisha on Saturday in a rare high-level engagement that underscores the Centre's focus on the state's infrastructure and tribal development. During the visit, they will travel to Mayurbhanj district, where they will participate in a series of public events and launch development projects worth more than ₹47,600 crore across multiple sectors.

The visit will begin at around 11:15 a.m. with a stop at Pahadpur village in Mayurbhanj district, where the President and the Prime Minister will offer prayers at the sacred Santhali Jahera and Ho Jahera groves. They will also visit the Skill Centre and Pahadpur School, highlighting ongoing efforts to improve education, vocational training and socio-economic opportunities in tribal and rural communities.

Later in the day, at around 1 p.m., the two leaders will attend a public programme in Rairangpur to mark the completion of two years of the Odisha government. The event, themed Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara, will feature the inauguration and foundation stone laying of projects spanning energy, industrial infrastructure, road connectivity, drinking water, healthcare, education, tourism and irrigation. Prime Minister Modi is also scheduled to address the gathering.

The projects announced during the programme are aimed at strengthening Odisha's infrastructure, improving connectivity, enhancing energy security and generating employment. The initiatives are expected to accelerate development in tribal and rural areas while supporting the state's long-term economic growth.

Among the major projects for which foundation stones will be laid is the 600 MW Upper Indravati Pumped Storage Project, designed to strengthen renewable energy integration and improve power reliability. Another key project is the Stage-II expansion of the IB Thermal Power Station, which will add two units of 660 MW each to the state's electricity generation capacity.

The leaders will also lay the foundation stone for the Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL) project at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district. The project is expected to promote cleaner utilisation of domestic coal, reduce dependence on imports and create significant industrial and employment opportunities.

Other projects for which foundation stones will be laid include a 300-tonne-per-day source-segregated municipal solid waste-based compressed biogas plant in Bhubaneswar, a bridge over the Kathajodi River providing a direct link between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, widening and strengthening of the Dhalpur-Harbhanga Road in Boudh district, the four-laning of a section of National Highway-353 between Nuapada and Ghatipada, the Kusumdihi Megalift Irrigation Project, an IGNOU Regional Centre and an Indoor Badminton Complex at Rairangpur.

Several completed projects will also be inaugurated during the programme. These include a new 300-bed District Headquarters Hospital building in Boudh, 24 Atal Bus Stands and nine Automated Testing Stations across various districts of Odisha, aimed at improving healthcare services and public transport infrastructure.

Other important projects to be inaugurated include the Nayagarh Town Bypass on National Highway-57, the underground pipeline component of the Kusumi Smart Irrigation Project, the Jakhapura-Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Baitarani Road multi-tracking railway project, the Hindol Road-Meramandali multi-tracking railway project, and a Sports Complex and Tribal Research Centre at Rairangpur.

The visit is expected to reinforce the government's emphasis on inclusive development by expanding infrastructure, improving essential public services and creating new economic opportunities across Odisha, particularly in its tribal and rural regions.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar