Brothers and sisters and my young friends, who are present here today!

Our resolution of working for the development of Odisha with dedication has today reached another milestone. Just a few moments ago, several projects worth more than Rs.14 thousand crores were launched and their foundation stones were laid. These include projects in the field of education, health, gas, roads and projects of cultural significance. All these projects will play a crucial role in the development of Odisha and for making the lives of every person of Odisha better and easier. I congratulate the people of Odisha for all the development projects.

Friends,

This is the first time in the history of India that such attention is being paid to the Eastern India including Odisha by a central government. Prioritizing balanced development of the country, there has been a continuous expansion of several projects related to infrastructure and other important facilities for the last four years. The central government is moving towards developing Eastern India into a gateway to the Eastern Asia and South Asia.

Following the mantra of 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas', the central government is moving with the resolution of developing every corner and every person of Odisha.

Friends,

Today I have got the opportunity to dedicate this IIT Bhubaneshwar to Odisha and the youngsters. Rs.1260 crores was spent for building it. This grand campus will not only be the centre of dreams for the youngsters of Odisha but will also prove to be a new medium of income for its youth. The IIT campus in Odisha will now be able to conduct research on the rich resources of Odisha's forests. Research will be conducted on modern technology to improve the lives of tribal brothers and sisters. This institute will produce best quality engineers and entrepreneurs and will put Odisha on the path of high-tech industrial development. In the coming days, the work on setting up of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at a cost of approximately Rs.1600 crores will also begin in Berhampur.

Friends,

The central government has approved several such institutes related to education, science and technology across the country in the last four and a half years. This is the manifestation of the government's vision of New India under which efforts are being made to turn India into a start-up hub and a hub of modern technology in the world. I hope that the new institutions will further strengthen Odisha's age-old identity as a hub of knowledge and innovation. Friends, apart from education, the central government is also seriously focusing upon the people's health.

With this spirit, the work for expansion of the Kharodha Bhubaneshwar-based ESIC hospital has also been completed.

Today this hospital equipped with modern facilities has also been dedicated to the people. The capacity of the old hospital has doubled. Now its capacity has increased to 100 beds. The aim of the government is to ensure that my tribal families residing in remote forests of the country do not have to struggle for getting treatment. Keeping this in mind, the work of setting up of the health and wellness centres under Ayushman Bharat Yojana is progressing at a rapid pace. Almost 1150 health and wellness centres have been approved in Odisha. When all these centres will be ready, there will be a revolutionary transformation across the country and in Odisha in terms of health facilities in the coming couple of years.

Friends,

The central government is also striving to strengthen the road connectivity along with the health facilities in Odisha at a rapid rate. The schemes are being pushed to connect all the remote areas of the state with roads. A network of roads is being laid in the villages and cities. The central government is rapidly moving towards increasing the length of the National Highways up to 10,000 km in Odisha. With this objective in mind, today the foundation stone of four projects related to roads and highways has been laid. These projects including six-laning of Chandikhole-Bhadrak section and Tangi- Pitala section, widening of Cuttack- Angul section and the construction of Khandagiri flyover worth approximately Rs.4500 crores will play a crucial role in Odisha's development. These facilities will ease people's transportation and will also aid in trade and businesses.

Friends,

As the infrastructure of Odisha is expanding, new ways and opportunities of business and trade are also expanding. The future of Odisha is bright especially in the oil and natural gas sector. The Paradip-Hyderabad pipeline will give a new identity to Odisha. It will open up several employment opportunities for its youth. This nearly 1200Km long pipeline will fulfil the petroleum needs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana along with the needs of Odisha. Petrol, diesel, kerosene and fuel for airplanes produced from Paradip refinery will meet the needs of several cities and villages. This project worth approximately Rs.4000 crores will help Odisha to become a petroleum hub for Eastern India after the completion of this pipeline and after the construction of delivery cum pumping stations in Berhampur, Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry and Vijayawada.

Friends,

The government is dedicated to provide clean and smoke-free fuel to the poorest of the poor families. We are very close to successfully deliver LPG cylinders to every household of the country. Now the government has also started a massive campaign for providing gas through pipeline to the households. The Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana is progressing at a rapid pace to provide gas through pipelines especially to the Eastern India. Thousands of crores of rupees are being spent to lay a network of PNG pipelines from UP to Odisha. Under this the foundation stone of Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro- Dhamra pipeline of the Bokaro-Angul section has been laid today. On the completion of this project worth nearly Rs.3500 crores, the 6 districts of Jharkhand along with the 5 districts of Odisha will also be connected with the gas pipelines.

Friends,

The development of the resources remains incomplete till cultural development too gets associated with it. On the occasion of completion of 200 years of Paika rebellion that had played a crucial role in the first war of independence, one special commemorative postal stamp and a coin has been issued today. Besides, Buxi Jagabandhu Chair has also been declared by the government in Utkal University after the name of the hero of the Paika rebellion. This Chair will not only be a center of research on topics related to all the nationalist movements including Paika and Adivasi movement but will also play an important role in understanding the socio-economic changes in the tribal society of Odisha.

Friends,

Emphasis is also being laid on placing Odisha's rich spiritual heritage in front of the world in addition to honouring the heroes of the Paika rebellion. Today I have also got the opportunity to inaugurate the archaeology museum in Lalitgiri of Cuttack district. It has ancient artifacts and relics from the earliest Buddhist era. This will attract not only the followers of Buddhism and research scholars but also other people and tourists. This will further get a boost with the help of Odisha's tourism industry that will generate new employment opportunities for the youth here.

Friends,

The central government is dedicated towards all-round development of Odisha. Several steps are being taken for the development of the people and infrastructure of Odisha. I want to assure you that the work will continue ceaselessly. We will be moving ahead together and will make concerted efforts to ensure that Odisha becomes a significant engine for development of a New India. With this hope, once again I heartily congratulate the people of Odisha for the various development projects. In the name of Jai Jagannath, I thank you all!

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AKT/SH/IG/MG/AK