PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone, Inaugurates Projects Worth Rs.60,000 Crores in Jharsuguda, Odisha

On September 27, 2025, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated multiple development projects worth more than Rs.60,000 crores in sectors such as railways, education, healthcare, skill development, and housing, in Jharsuguda, Odisha.

Railway sector: 

Rail line works: Inaugurated and dedicated the doubling of the Koraput (Odisha)- Baiguda (Odisha) line, and the Manabur(Odisha)-Korapur-Gorapur (Andhra Pradesh, AP) line.

• Laid foundation stone for Rail flyover at Sambalpur-Sarla in Odisha, with an aim to significantly improve freight and passenger movement in Odisha and neighboring states, strengthening local industries and trade.

Amrit Bharat Express: PM Modi flagged off 1700-Kilometre (Km) Amrit Bharat Express connecting Brahmapur (Odisha) and Udhna (Gujarat) in Odisha. It is equipped with features such as Modern ergonomic seating with improved design, fully connected coaches for seamless movement, Twin-engine configuration ensuring higher safety and reliability.

• It spreads over 22 districts of 5 states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, AP, and Odisha.

Education sector:

IIT Expansion: Virtually laid the foundation stones for the expansion of eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), valued at Rs.11,000 crores in Tirupati (AP), Palakkad (Kerala), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir, J&K), Dharwad (Karnataka), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Patna (Bihar), and Indore (Madhya Pradesh, MP).

• The initiative will create capacity for 10,000 new students over the next four years and establish eight state-of-the-art research parks to promote cutting-edge research and innovation.

MERITE Scheme: Launched Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education (MERITE) scheme, a Central Sector Scheme (CSS) in Odisha, with a focus on enhancing the quality of education, equity, research, and innovation in 275 state engineering and polytechnic institutions across India.

• On August 8, 2025, Government of India (GOI), approved the scheme with a total financial outlay of Rs.4,200 crores for the period from 2025-26 to 2029-30, including the financial assistance of Rs.2,100 crores from the World Bank.

Digital Education: Dedicated Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) across 130 higher education institutions in Odisha, with an aim to provide free daily data access for over 2.5 lakh students, to promote digital learning and access to online educational resources.

Skill Development: Launched Odisha Skill Development Project Phase II, under which World Skill Centres will be established in Sambalpur and Berhampur, focusing on sectors such as AgriTech, Renewable Energy (RE), Retail, Marine, and Hospitality.

• It also includes the upgradation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), including 5 it is upgraded into Utkarsh ITIs with enhanced infrastructure and advanced curriculum, and 25 ITIs developed as Centre of Excellence (CoE) to promote high-quality vocational training.

Healthcare: Laid the foundation stone for the upgradation of two major medical colleges such as MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur (Odisha) and VIMSAR in Sambalpur.

• The upgrades include enhanced bed capacity, Trauma care units, Dental colleges, Maternal and Childcare services, expanded academic infrastructure, to provide comprehensive healthcare services and advanced medical education and training in Odisha.

Housing: PM distributed sanction orders to 50,000 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana (AGY), providing pucca houses and financial assistance to vulnerable rural families, including people with disabilities, widows, individuals suffering from terminal illness, and victims of natural calamities.

About Odisha:
Chief Minister (CM) – Mohan Charan Majhi
Governor – Hari Babu Kambhampati
Capital – Bhubaneshwar
Tiger Reserve (TR) – Similipal TR, Satkosia TR