Bhubaneswar: Further accelerating the pace of development in western Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday dedicated nine projects and laid foundation for nine more projects for the region.
The Chief Minister launched these projects worth Rs 48.37 crore through video conferencing.
While Rs 14.69 crore has been invested in the nine projects that have been dedicated and the cost of nine projects for which the foundation was laid is Rs 33.68 core.
The Chief Minister dedicated projects, such as development of schools, kalyan mandaps, sports complexes and a millet processing project at Komna, to the people of western Odisha.
The projects for which foundation was laid include eco-tourism, infrastructure, eco-parks, stadiums, handicraft malls etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Patnaik said that the State Government has been emphasizing on development of western Odisha with the aim of eliminating regional disparities.
Around 40,000 projects have been completed through the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) since 2000, he said.
The annual grant for WODC has been increased from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore last year. It has created an opportunity to carry out more projects, the CM added.