Bhubaneswar: President Droupadi Murmu will arrive in Odisha on Friday afternoon for a two-day visit with a packed schedule, highlighting infrastructure, tribal welfare, and healthcare initiatives.
According to her official itinerary, the President will land at Dandbose Airstrip in Mayurbhanj district at 3:45 pm this afternoon. She will inaugurate the AIIMS Satellite Centre at Rairangpur later in the evening.
The visit gains special significance on Saturday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi joins her in Mayurbhanj district. They will visit Pahadpur village, the in-laws’ village of President Murmu, around 11:15 am. There, they will offer prayers at the sacred Santhali Jahera and Ho Jahera groves, and visit a Skill Centre and local school.
At around 1 PM, the President and Prime Minister will participate in a programme at Rairangpur, marking the completion of two years of the BJP government in Odisha. The theme of the programme is ‘Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara’. Inauguration and foundation stone of various development projects worth over Rs 47,600 crore will take place during the programme.
Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.
June 20 is also the birthday of the President, which she will celebrate at her ‘karma bhoomi’ Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district. Murmu was born to a Santali family on June 20, 1958, at Uparbeda village in the Baidaposi area of Rairangpur,. She started her political career as a councillor of Rairangpur Municipality in 1997. Later, she became an MLA, a minister, the governor of Jharkhand and finally the President of India.
Key Mega-Projects Detailed
The initiatives span energy, roads, irrigation, health, education, tourism, and industrial infrastructure, aiming to boost connectivity, energy security, employment, and inclusive growth, particularly in tribal and rural regions.
Energy Security: Foundation stones will be laid for 600 MW Upper Indravati Pumped Storage Project and the Stage-II Expansion of the IB Thermal Power Station (adding two 660 MW units).
Clean Technology: Foundation stone of Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Limited (BCGCL) project at Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district will also be laid. It will promote cleaner utilisation of domestic coal resources, reduce import dependence and create new industrial and employment opportunities in the region.
Urban & Transit Upgrades: Other projects for which foundation stones will be laid include a 300 TPD source-segregated Municipal Solid Waste-based Compressed Biogas Plant at Bhubaneswar, a bridge over the river Kathajodi providing a direct link between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar, the widening and strengthening of Dhalpur-Harbhanga Road in Boudh district and the four-laning of a section of NH-353 from Nuapada to Ghatipada, Kusumdihi Megalift Irrigation Project, IGNOU Regional Centre and Indoor Badminton Complex at Rairangpur.
Inaugurations will cover the 300-bedded district headquarters hospital at Boudh, 24 Atal Bus Stands, nine Automated Testing Stations, the Nayagarh Town Bypass on NH-57, underground pipeline component of the Kusumi Smart Irrigation Project, multi-tracking railway projects (Jakhapura-Jajpur Keonjhar Road-Baitarani Road, Hindol Road-Meramandali), Sports Complex and Tribal Research Centre at Rairangpur.
