Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday dedicated 9 projects implemented with an estimated cost of Rs 14.69 crore and laid foundation stone for 9 other projects with a budget of Rs 33.68 crore in western Odisha.
The projects that were inaugurated included school, Kalyan Mandap, sports complex and a millet processing unit at Komna. The chief minister laid the stone for projects on eco tourism, infrastructure development, stadium and handicrafts.
Speaking on the occasion through online mode, the chief minister said his government has been stressing on removing regional disparities by implementing projects for development of western Odisha. Around 40,000 projects have already been executed in the region through Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) since 2000. The government has increased the annual grant of the WODC from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore, he added.
Besides the infrastructure, the government has focused on growth of agriculture, irrigation, industries, tourism and handicrafts, he said adding that the works were going on for renovation and facelift of religious places like Harishankar, Nrusinghnath and Maa Samaleswari temple in the region.
Stating that the work of western Odisha corridor of Biju Expressway is in completion stage, Naveen said the government would announce a special initiative package for the region in Make in Odisha (MIO)-2022 conclave.
He also released a special logo of WODC and project monitoring dashboard on the occasion.
Planning and Coordination Minister Rajendra Dholakia and WODC chairman Asit Tripathy also spoke at the event. Chief secretary Suresh Mahapatra, development commissioner PK Jena and 5t secretary to chief minister VK Pandian were present.
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