Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects valued at more than Rs 50,000 crore spanning telecommunications, railways, higher education, healthcare, skill development and rural housing sectors.
The prime minister put down the foundation stone for Rs 11,000 crore infrastructure expansion projects at eight IITs — Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, Jodhpur, Patna and Indore — to add 12,000 seats over the next four years.
Modi also laid the foundation for the construction of a rail flyover between Sambalpur City and Sarala with an outlay of Rs 273 crore, and for establishing a semiconductor and electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) park in partnership with IIT-Bhubaneswar.
He launched the MERITE (Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education) scheme, aimed at enhancing quality, equity, research, and innovation in 275 state engineering and polytechnic institutions nationwide.
He also rolled out Odisha Skill Development Project Phase-II, which will set up world skill centres with an investment of Rs 1,979 crore in Sambalpur and Berhampur, covering emerging fields such as agritech, renewable energy, retail, marine, and hospitality.
Five ITIs will be upgraded into ‘Utkarsh ITIs’, 25 ITIs will be developed as Centres of Excellence, while a new Precision Engineering Building will offer advanced technical training.
To boost digital learning in the state, the PM dedicated Wi-Fi facilities across 130 higher education institutions at a cost of Rs 90 crore, providing free daily data access to benefit over 2.5 lakh students.
The PM also revealed the master plan for upgrading MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Sambalpur into world-class super-speciality hospitals with an investment of Rs 3,000 crore.
The enhanced facilities will feature increased bed strength, trauma care units, dental colleges, maternal and child care services, and expanded academic infrastructure, ensuring comprehensive healthcare services for Odisha’s populace.
He inaugurated the Amrit Bharat Express linking Berhampur with Udhna in Gujarat’s Surat district.
Modi also dedicated to the nation the doubling of the 34-km Koraput–Baiguda rail line and the 82-km Manabar–Koraput–Gorapur section, constructed at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore.
During the day, he commissioned more than 97,500 4G telecom towers built with BSNL’s ‘swadeshi’ technology at a cost of Rs 37,000 crore.
Additionally, the PM handed out sanction orders to 50,000 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, under which pucca houses and financial aid are provided to vulnerable rural families, including persons with disabilities, widows, those with terminal illnesses, and victims of natural disasters.
This was the prime minister’s sixth visit to Odisha since the BJP assumed power in the state in June 2024.
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