Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 68,000 crore in Odisha.

Besides inaugurating the 400-crore permanent campus of IIM, Sambalpur, Modi unveiled several infrastructure projects across various sectors such as power, roads and railways in the state.

Modi had laid the foundation stone for the IIM campus in 2021.

After unveiling 18 projects in the state, the prime minister said, "These projects will benefit the youth of Odisha and will create employment opportunities. The Centre is supporting Odisha in every sector." The PM also flagged off the Puri-Sonepur-Puri weekly express, which will improve connectivity in the region, and dedicated the Jharsuguda Head Post Office Heritage Building to the nation.

He also inaugurated the 412-km Dhamra–Angul pipeline section of the Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline project (JHBDPL).

Built at a cost of around Rs 2,450 crore under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’, the project will connect Odisha with the National Gas Grid.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Governor Raghubar Das and Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Bishweswar Tudu and Ashwini Vaishnaw were present at the function.

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