BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Odisha’s and India’s aspirations were intrinsically connected and the state was fully ready to play a pivotal role in the country’s journey towards becoming a developed nation.
Addressing a massive public gathering at Dandbose in Mayurbhanj district, Modi, in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu, said Odisha is emerging as a gateway to growth and prosperity in eastern India.
Reiterating the Centre’s vision of ‘Development of Eastern India for the Development of India’, the prime minister emphasised that the Purvodaya policy is unlocking the immense potential of eastern states. “Centre and state governments are working together to fully harness these strengths through record investments in railway infrastructure, highways, economic corridors, ports, energy, semiconductors, green energy, and modern industries,” he said.
Modi’s visit to Murmu’s home district on her 68th birthday and places where she has spent considerable time of her life is seen as an assertion of the importance he lays on the country’s first tribal President. Extending birthday greetings to the President, Modi said, “Odisha’s daughter today occupies the highest office in the nation and continues to guide us. Her life and work have strengthened not only Mayurbhanj’s identity but also Odisha’s pride on the national stage.”
Murmu and Modi used the occasion to launch and inaugurate developmental projects worth over Rs 47,000 crore across the state. Modi also announced that the President’s native village Pahadpur will be developed as a Solar Village, ensuring solar power generation in every household. Drawing a parallel with Odisha’s iconic Sun Temple at Konark, he expressed confidence that Pahadpur would emerge as a model solar-powered village for the nation.
“Konark Sun Temple has a unique identity. In the same way, Pahadpur will earn the identity of a solar village. This will provide free electricity to the villagers and any surplus power generated will become a source of income for them,” the PM said.
Congratulating the people of Odisha and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on the completion of two years of the BJP-led government in the state, Modi said the double-engine government has accelerated the state’s development journey and is transforming the lives of ordinary citizens through welfare schemes, investments, industrial growth and employment opportunities.
The state’s flagship investment outreach programme, Utkarsh Odisha, had attracted investment proposals worth nearly Rs 20 lakh crore, while mega projects exceeding Rs 3.5 lakh crore were already under implementation, he said emphasising the government’s focus on industrialisation, infrastructure expansion and job creation.
He also underlined efforts to empower tribal communities through education and employment initiatives, pointing out that nearly 500 Eklavya Model Residential Schools had been established across the country to improve educational opportunities for tribal children.
He lauded several key welfare programmes of the state government like paddy procurement at Rs 3,100 per quintal for farmers, financial assistance to over one crore women under the Subhadra Yojana, implementation of Ayushman Bharat and support for tribal students through the Madho Singh Haat Kharcha Yojana.
Modi said President Murmu had played a vital role in shaping some of the transformative programmes for tribal welfare and upliftment. The PM JANMAN Mission emerged from from discussions held with President Murmu and is specifically designed for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), ensuring that government services reach even the most marginalized tribal communities directly at their doorsteps, he said.
The meeting was also addressed by the President and the chief minister. Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, all ministers of the state and state BJP president Manmohan Samal were present.