Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has claimed that Odisha is now reaping the benefits of double-engine government, which is evident from the recent developments like the sanction of the Rs 8,308 crore Bhubaneswar bypass project, two semiconductor units and the return of the South Korean steel major POSCO to the state.
Majhi said this when several people and organisations from mineral-rich Keonjhar district met him here Thursday to thank him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the proposed JSW-POSCO joint venture green field steel project at Patana tehsil of the district.
The proposed steel plant will build the future of Keonjhar district and prosperous Odisha. In the coming days, the Patna region will also become a modern city like Rourkela, the chief minister said.
Stating that the establishment of a mega steel plant was a long-standing demand of the people of Keonjhar, his native district, Majhi thanked the double-engine government (BJP government in the state and at the Centre).
The JSW-POSCO project will be one of the biggest steel plants in the country, he said.
Majhi said since the day he entered politics and became MLA 20 years ago, he had seen a dream for Keonjhar as the location of a mega steel plant. The industries from different parts of the country and abroad procure iron ore from Keonjhar and make steel there. But this district was so far denied a steel plant of its own. Now the dream of having a steel plant in Keonjhar is going to be a reality. I am very happy, he told the gathering.
Through this proposed steel plant, the entire state, including Keonjhar district, will develop. Therefore, the people of Keonjhar district, especially the people of the Patna area, are requested to cooperate in every way, Majhi said.
POSCO India, which had signed an MoU with the Odisha government in 2005 to set up a 12mtpa steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district at an investment of Rs 52,000 crore, had to withdraw from the project due to resistance from local people in land acquisition and other legal hurdles.
However, JSW chief Sajjan Jindal finally convinced the steel major to return to Odisha and set up a plant with JSW’s collaboration, Majhi said, adding that this was possible due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts and commitment.
Majhi also claimed that POSCO’s return to Odisha would motivate other industries, which had packed up during the previous BJD government, to repose trust in the state government and find Odisha as one of the most suitable locations for setting up their plants.
Citing another instance of benefit to Odisha, Majhi said August 19, the central government approved the Rs 8,307.74 crore Capital Region Ring Road project and called it a landmark infrastructure initiative that will decongest major urban centres and boost the economy. He said the project will also enhance logistics efficiency and open new avenues for economic growth and prosperity in Odisha and the eastern region.
The chief minister also pointed out that August 12, the Union Cabinet approved the establishment of two semiconductor units in Odisha, which will accelerate the state’s growth in the sector. Of the four such projects approved by the Centre, two came to Odisha, and this was another benefit of the ‘double engine’ government in the state, Majhi said.
PTI
