New Delhi: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today urged the Government of India to provide financial support to the State Government for creation of disaster resilient infrastructure in power, telecom sectors.
Shri Majhi raised this demand at the Governing Council meetings of the NITI Aayog held here under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the meeting, the Chief Minister said Odisha, though prone to natural disasters, has emerged as a pioneer in disaster management, demonstrating remarkable resilience.
“Financial support of the Central Government for creation of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure in power, telecom sectors and coastal saline embankments will help the State in minimising the adverse consequences of cyclones and floods,” he said.
Odisha has a long coastline of 480 km. So, the State Government will adopt the model of port-led development, positioning the State as the gateway to Eastern and South Eastern Asia and a port of call for neighbouring landlocked States.
Support is therefore required for establishment of large-scale port-based industrial zones in areas surrounding the existing ports of Dhamra and Gopalpur; while further developing greenfield ports at Astaranga, Palur, Bahuda, and Subarnarekha, he said.
In this regard, the CM demanded the Centre to transfer salt pan land of around 4,300 acres owned by the Central Government in Ganjam district at the earliest.
“As we work towards building our infrastructure such as Industrial Parks and Corridors, Electricity Grids, Railway Infrastructure and enhanced air connectivity, dedicated budget allocations and quick clearances from the Union Government for various infrastructure projects would be very helpful,” he suggested.
As a potential green economy, Odisha sought support for Pumped Hydro Storage Plants (PSPs) projects, Floating Solar Projects and intrastate green energy transmission corridor projects.
Shri Majhi further urged the Central Government to expedite opening more numbers of brick & mortar bank branches and ATMs in the unbanked/under-banked Gram Panchayats (GPs) of the State.
The State also sought support of the Centre for value chain and produce special metals and alloys for aerospace and defence by utilizing mineral resources of Odisha.
As Odisha has a lower railway density compared to the national average, the Government of India was urged to consider increasing railway density in the eastern state.
With over 33% forest cover, Odisha plays a crucial role in environment protection. However, the state’s high forest cover limits its ability to utilize land for development projects, affecting its economic growth.
Therefore, the CM urged the Central government to consider incentivising the State for reducing its carbon footprint and rendering ecological services.
Further, the State has also sought support of the Centre for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and State-of-the-art technology for design and manufacturing semiconductors.