By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, May 28, 2025: The Odisha government is working on a supersonic pace to finalise the land and forest clearance process for Kalyani Steel Limited’s proposed aerospace and specialty steel manufacturing unit in Dhenkanal district.

An MoU for the Rs 11,750-crore project was initially signed in 2024 and is amongst one of the largest private investments in the state’s emerging defence and advanced manufacturing sectors. The project is expected to generate over 10,000 jobs, officials said.

Land acquisition is progressing at Gajamara in Dhenkanal, where the facility will be set up. Once approvals are secured, the project will move into the construction phase. The plant will produce titanium metal, aerospace and automotive components, and advanced speciality steel materials vital to India’s defence and space programmes, they added.

This unit will be Kalyani Steel’s first high-value defence manufacturing setup in Odisha. Beyond direct employment, the unit is expected to stimulate the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and OEM suppliers in the region.

The development aligns with Odisha’s larger industrial push. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi laid the foundation stones for 24 industrial projects worth Rs 1.15 lakh crore, projected to generate 36,000 jobs.

Among these were Tata Steel’s expansion at Kalinga Nagar and Neelachal Ispat’s mega steel plant, and significant projects from the JSL Group, Linde India, and other key industry players.