By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, September 27, 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched development projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The range of projects spans telecom, railways, higher education, healthcare, skill development, and rural housing.

The PM commissioned over 97,500 mobile 4G towers built using indigenous technology, at a cost of about Rs 37,000 crore. Of these, more than 92,600 sites have been commissioned under BSNL. The development marked India’s entry into an exclusive group of countries, including Denmark, Sweden, South Korea and China, which manufacture their own telecom equipment.

The India-made 4G network is cloud-based, energy-efficient, and designed for seamless upgrades to 5G, offrcials said. The rollout, part of BSNL’s silver jubilee celebrations, is aimed at connecting over 26,700 previously unserved villages, including 2,472 in Odisha, and benefit nearly two million new subscribers. Many of these towers are solar-powered, making them the country’s largest cluster of green telecom sites.

The Prime Minister described the 100 per cent 4G saturation project, implemented under Digital Bharat Nidhi, which the government describes as a transformative step towards bridging India’s digital divide and empowering rural communities. Around 30,000 villages nationwide are set to be connected through this mission-mode project.

In a major boost to city commute, Modi inaugurated a five-kilometre flyover in Sambalpur, which was built at a cost of Rs 273 crore, doubling of the Koraput–Baiguda line and the Manabar–Koraput–Gorapur line. The flyover is expected to ease traffic in the city. On the same day, the Prime Minister flagged off the Amrit Bharat Express between Berhampur and Udhna (Surat), a move to boost inter-state connectivity, tourism, jobs, and trade.

Modi also laid the foundation for the expansion of eight Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), which will add capacity for 10,000 students over the next four year with an investment of around Rs 11,000 crore. These eight IITs are Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, Jodhpur, Patna, and Indore.

For healthcare, the PM laid the foundation for upgrading MKCG Medical College (Berhampur) and VIMSAR (Sambalpur) into super-specialty hospitals. These upgrades will include more beds, trauma units, maternal and child care services, dental colleges, and expanded academic wings.

Besides, he launched several initiatives in Odisha like MERITE scheme for improving quality, equity, research and innovation in 275 state engineering and polytechnic institutions, Odisha Skill Development Project Phase II, including World Skill Centres in Sambalpur and Berhampur covering sectors like AgriTech, Renewable Energy, Retail, Marine, Hospitality, Upgrading five ITIs into Utkarsh ITIs, developing 25 ITIs as Centres of Excellence, and building a Precision Engineering Building. Free Wi-Fi facilities in 130 higher education institutions, benefiting over 2.5 lakh students daily.

Under the Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, sanction orders were distributed to 50,000 beneficiaries. The scheme provides pucca houses and financial support to rural families including persons with disabilities, widows, terminally ill individuals, or victims of natural disasters. This move aims to strengthen social welfare and dignity for vulnerable communities.

Jharsuguda became a focal point for growth in Odisha on this day. From state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure to rail and health upgrades, the projects aim to connect, empower and uplift. The use of indigenous technology in telecom marks a push for self-reliance, while the spread into education, housing and welfare shows a multi-dimensional agenda.

This was Modi’s seventh visit to Odisha in 15 months since the BJP came to power in the state in June 2024, and his first trip to Jharsuguda after a gap of seven years. His previous visit to the town was in September 2018, when he inaugurated Odisha’s second commercial airport.