BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 100 crore textile park and Rs 187 crore disaster recovery and data centre in his home district of Keonjhar.
Launching the two projects at a function organised on the campus of Dharanidhar University, the chief minister said Keonjhar will no longer be identified solely with mineral and steel but emerge as a diversified industrial hub.
Majhi said an ultra-modern apparel manufacturing unit by Hindalco Industries Limited, the Aditya Birla Group’s metal flagship, will come up on seven acre within the park, with a projected annual production capacity of 24 lakh garments.
“The state government has allotted land for the project. Once operational, the unit is expected to create around 1,200 jobs, significantly benefitting local communities, especially women and youth of the region,” he said.
The chief minister said garments of renowned brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, and Peter England will be manufactured in the unit and exported to global markets. “It is a matter of proud privilege for all of us and this project supports Odisha’s broader goal of expanding value-added industries beyond mining and heavy manufacturing,” Majhi said.
The chief minister said the textile sector has significant potential to create jobs, particularly for women and youth. Referring to the Odisha Tex 2025 conclave held in Bhubaneswar last July, Majhi said 33 MoUs worth Rs 7,800 crore were signed, with an employment potential for over 53,000 people across the state.
In addition to a technical textile park in Bhadrak, similar textile and apparel parks are being developed in Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Balangir, Ganjam, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur, he addded.
The CM also laid the foundation stone for a disaster recovery and data centre to be developed by the Electronics and Information Technology (E&IT) department through the Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) at a cost of Rs 187 crore. He said the
facility will serve as a backup to the existing state data centre in Bhubaneswar and ensure uninterrupted delivery of over 400 online government services in the event of natural disasters or cyber threats.
Majhi said Keonjhar’s relatively low seismic vulnerability (Zone II) makes it a suitable location for critical digital infrastructure. Describing the upcoming data center as a critical infrastructure project, he emphasised the need for secure, seamless and locally-controlled citizen data. The center will support data localization efforts and enhance the state’s digital governance framework, he said.
Reaffirming the government’s focus on balanced regional development, the chief minister highlighted that Rs 312 crore has been allocated for temple development in the district, and projects worth Rs 1,900 crore were earlier launched during the Makar festival.
“A prosperous Odisha will be built through the prosperity of its districts. Industrial growth and digital empowerment are key drivers of our journey toward a developed India,” Majhi said.
Among those present were Keonjhar MP Ananta Nayak, MLAs Akhila Chandar Naik and Fakir Mohan Naik, president Corporate Affairs of Hindalco Ardhendu Mohapatra, collector Vishal Singh, OCAC CEO Pradeep Kumar Rout and other senior officials.