Bhubaneswar: In a rare joint public appearance, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday launch projects worth over Rs 47,600 crore in Odisha, as chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi completes two years in office.The mega event, ‘Vikas ra dhara, Odisha sara’ (Flow of development across Odisha), will be held at Rairangpur — Murmu’s hometown — and is expected to showcase the state’s development agenda across sectors ranging from energy and industry to roads, healthcare, education and irrigation.Among the big-ticket projects is Rs 25,000cr Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) complex, whose foundation stone will be laid at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district. The project aims at promoting cleaner utilisation of domestic coal and reducing import dependence. Foundation stones will also be laid for the 600MW Upper Indravati Pumped Storage Project and the Stage-II expansion of IB Thermal Power Station, involving two 660MW units.Among other projects to be launched are a municipal solid waste-based compressed biogas plant in Bhubaneswar, new bridge over Kathajodi river linking Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, road expansion works in Boudh and Nuapada districts, Kusumdihi Megalift Irrigation Project and an Ignou regional centre in Rairangpur.Key inaugurations include a 300-bed District Headquarters Hospital in Boudh, 24 Atal Bus Stands, nine automated vehicle testing stations, Nayagarh bypass on NH-57, railway multitracking projects in Jajpur-Keonjhar and Dhenkanal regions, and sports and tribal research facilities in Rairangpur.State BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Manmohan Samal said the projects are expected to boost connectivity, strengthen energy security, improve public services and create large-scale employment opportunities, particularly in tribal and rural areas.Before the meeting, Murmu and Modi will visit the President’s in-laws’ village, Pahadpur, where they will offer prayers at the sacred groves of Santhali and Ho community, Jahera.
