Telecom, Railways, Education, Healthcare And More — PM Modi Inaugurates Rs 60,000-Crore Development Projects in Odisha’s Jharsuguda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore during his visit to Jharsuguda in Odisha on Saturday (27 September).

The initiatives, spanning across telecom, railways, higher education, healthcare, skill development, and rural housing, are expected to significantly boost connectivity, infrastructure, and welfare in Odisha and across India.

Telecom Connectivity Push

In a major step towards bridging the digital divide, the Prime Minister commissioned more than 97,500 solar-powered 4G towers built with indigenous technology at a cost of around Rs 37,000 crore.

This includes over 92,600 BSNL 4G sites, with more than 18,900 sites funded under the Digital Bharat Nidhi, connecting around 26,700 remote villages and benefitting over 20 lakh new subscribers.

The cluster is India’s largest green telecom initiative.

Rail Infrastructure Boost

PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rail Flyover at Sambalpur–Sarla, dedicated the doubling of the Koraput–Baiguda and Manabar–Koraput–Gorapur lines, and flagged off the Amrit Bharat Express between Berhampur and Udhna (Surat).

The projects aim to enhance freight and passenger movement, spur regional trade, and create new tourism and employment opportunities.

Strengthening Higher Education

The Prime Minister also announced the expansion of eight IITs—Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, Jodhpur, Patna, and Indore—at an investment of around Rs 11,000 crore.

The expansion will create space for 10,000 new students and establish eight advanced research parks, further strengthening India’s innovation ecosystem.

Additionally, the MERITE scheme was launched to improve research, quality, and equity in 275 state engineering and polytechnic institutions nationwide.

Skill Development and Digital Education

PM Modi launched Odisha Skill Development Project Phase II, which will set up World Skill Centres in Sambalpur and Berhampur in emerging fields like AgriTech, Renewable Energy, Retail, Marine, and Hospitality.

Twenty-five ITIs will be upgraded into Centres of Excellence, while five will become Utkarsh ITIs.

To enhance access to digital learning, the Prime Minister also dedicated Wi-Fi facilities across 130 higher education institutions, benefiting over 2.5 lakh students with free daily data access.

Healthcare Transformation

Healthcare in Odisha received a significant boost as the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the upgradation of MKCG Medical College in Berhampur and VIMSAR in Sambalpur into world-class super-speciality hospitals.

The projects will add new trauma care units, dental colleges, maternal and child care services, and enhanced academic infrastructure.

Rural Housing and Social Welfare

On the occasion, sanction orders were distributed to 50,000 beneficiaries under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, aimed at providing pucca houses and financial support to vulnerable families, including widows, persons with disabilities, patients with terminal illnesses, and victims of natural calamities.

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