New Delhi: In a significant victory for the state’s industrial landscape, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, accompanied by Jajpur MP Dr. R. N. Behera, met with Union Minister of Steel & Heavy Industries Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy on 6 August to discuss key issues concerning the state’s steel sector.
The high-level meeting focused on crucial matters including the expansion of the Rourkela Steel Plant and generating employment. However, the central point of discussion was the fate of the Biju Patnaik National Steel Institute (BPNSI).
Chief Minister Shri Majhi presented a strong case against the Union Ministry’s previous decision to shift BPNSI from Kalinga Nagar, Jajpur, to the Rourkela, where Rourkela Steel Plant(RSP) is operating. RSP is a unit of Steel Authoirty of India Limited(SAIL).
Highlighting the Institute’s strategic importance in Kalinga Nagar, Chief Minister Shri Majhi requested that the relocation be stopped and the institute instead be elevated to a “Centre of Excellence” in its current location.
To facilitate this, the Chief Minister Shri assured the Union Minister Shri Kumaraswamy of the Odisha Government’s full support, including providing land and all necessary cooperation for the construction of a permanent campus in Kalinga Nagar. He also committed to arranging a temporary campus for the institute until the permanent infrastructure is ready.
After a careful review of the matter and considering the Chief Minister’s concerns, Union Minister Shri H. D. Kumaraswamy gave an immediate instruction to the concerned officials of the Union Steel Ministry to revoke the decision to shift BPNSI.
This development comes after Chief Minister Shri Majhi had previously written a letter to the Union Minister Shri Kumaraswamy on the matter.
The meeting, which was also attended by the Joint Secretary and Chairman of BPNSI, solidifies the institute’s future in Kalinga Nagar, a key hub for steel development in Odisha.