BHUBANESWAR: Union minister for Railways, Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday announced that a campus of National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) will be set up in Odisha.
After a discussion with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here, Vaishnaw said once land is available, the campus will be developed as a world-class centre.
“Odisha is on its way to becoming an important centre for IT industries, and Bhubaneswar will be the hub. There are promising opportunities being explored for the youth of the state in areas such as semiconductors, electronics, IT, IoT, and machine learning,” he said.
The IT minister said efforts will continue to encourage the growth of IT industries in Odisha and the chief minister has been approached to consider allocating suitable lands near Bhubaneswar to support the establishment of IT and semiconductor projects.
“Chip to startup programme has already been launched in four institutes, including IIT-Bhubaneswar, NIT-Rourkela, IIIT-Bhubaneswar and Parala Maharaja Engineering College, Berhampur for the development of the startup ecosystem,” he said.
During a detailed discussion with Majhi, Vaishnaw also reviewed 48 ongoing railway projects in the state, which collectively amount to around Rs 73,723 crore. He said some major initiatives related to these projects will be revealed at the upcoming Utkarsh Odisha conclave.
Majhi sought the intervention of Vaishnaw for more investment in the IT sector in the state and assured all support from the state government for the upcoming projects.
Stating that connectivity improvements, especially for tourism, are a key priority, Vaishnaw announced plans to introduce enhanced train services, including a special train for the Mahakumbh at Prayagraj, in addition to several other facilities aimed at boosting tourism in the state.