Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that the double-engine BJP government is committed to accelerating the pace of development in Odisha and said the state is set to witness unprecedented growth in the coming decade.
Modi was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of a slew of development projects worth over Rs 50,000 crore during his visit to Jharsuguda in Odisha. The projects, spanning key sectors like telecommunications, railways, healthcare, education, and skill development, are set to generate thousands of employment opportunities.
“Odisha has been blessed with abundant natural resources. The state has seen several decades of sufferings and poverty; however, this decade will take it towards prosperity. It is a very important decade for Odisha,” the Prime Minister said.
Asserting that this decade is for the development of Odisha, he said the launch of several large projects is part of a vision for Viksit Odisha 2036.
Stating that Odisha is progressing with the speed of a double-engine after BJP government in the state last year, Modi said projects worth crores of rupees were launched in the state today.
The Prime Minister also highlighted that the Centre has recently approved two semiconductor units for Odisha, and a semiconductor park will also be set up in the state.
“The smallest of chips, without which no device can function, will now be manufactured in Odisha. Our resolve is that, from the smallest chip to the largest ships, India should be Atmanirbhar across all sectors,” Modi said.
“Every citizen wants India to become ‘Atmanirbhar’, and for this, a huge industrial belt is being made from Paradip to Jharsuguda,” he added.
He stressed that shipbuilding plays a crucial role in various aspects, including trade and security.
It may be noted that Odisha has secured its position as an emerging hub for semiconductors and electronics manufacturing.
At the recent Semicon India-2025, Odisha signed two MoUs worth Rs 2,655 crore with TopTrack Hi-Tech PCB Pvt. Ltd and Sancode Technologies Limited to establish advanced printed circuit board and semiconductor facilities.
Referring to the ambitious Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip Economic Region (BCPPER) corridor, Modis said it will be a central driver of Odisha’s economic expansion, positioning the state for unprecedented growth in the coming decade. He also linked the corridor to Odisha’s vision of achieving a USD 500 billion economy by 2036 and a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2047.
The corridor integrates Odisha’s four core cities, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, and Paradip, into a unified economic zone. The government has already identified 65 priority projects and 37 policy reforms for the corridor, targeting industrial growth, logistics efficiency, and infrastructure modernisation. Each city’s unique characteristics will be preserved while enabling rapid urban and economic expansion, the PM said.
The corridor is expected to connect key industrial hubs, ports, and logistics centres, facilitating investment inflows and workforce mobility.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stones for the expansion of eight IITs, creating capacity for 10,000 new students over four years, and inaugurated initiatives to strengthen technical education and skill development in Odisha.
This apart, 50,000 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana received sanction orders for pucca houses and financial support, targeting vulnerable rural families, persons with disabilities, widows, and victims of natural disasters.
The Prime Minister stressed that Odisha’s youth need not go anywhere else in search of jobs as many companies and industries are coming to the state to launch new ventures, creating a surge in employment opportunities.
“When 2G, 3G, and 4G services were introduced in the telecom sector, India was significantly lagging behind… We all remember the jokes that circulated on social media: ‘2G, 3G, and who knows what else…’ India depended on the foreign nations for its. This was not right for our country. We decided that it was essential for India to develop this crucial technology in the telecom sector. It is a matter of pride for us that BSNL has successfully developed an indigenous 4G technology,” he said.
In his welcome speech, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said Odisha is moving rapidly along the path of progress. under the leadership of Modi. “Whenever you visit, you bring many gifts for our people,” he said, while hailing the PM’s contributions towards the development of the state.