Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday inaugurated a slew of projects and laid foundation stone for a host of others, besides addressing public meetings in the district.
In the whirlwind visit in a chopper ahead of the panchayat elections, programmes were held at Simulia, Soro, Remuna and Baleswar Sadar.
The CM cut short his schedule and left Baleswar reportedly due to bad weather warning, skipping the visit to the district headquarters hospital (DHH).
The 45 projects he inaugurated and laid foundation for were worth Rs 108 crore. A Medcal College and Hospital, trauma care cum diagnostic centre at the DHH, a drugs ware house at Remuna community health centre and a high level bridge over Sono river were among the major projects inaugurated.
local MP RK Jena, BJD Chief Whip Ananta Das, Sadar MlA JP Dash were present in the meetings which were held at Remuna and Baincha under Sadar block.
During his public address, Patnaik described Baleswar as culturally and educationally rich. The fighters of the district have proved their ability during the pre-independence struggle, he recalled.
He said Odisha had become a happening State and the environment for investment in the State was conducive.
Further, efforts are on to strengthen the infrastructure since infrastructure was the key to the development of the State, Patnaik said, adding efforts were on to rope in investors from outside the State.
“I had been to Bengluru and Mumbai and met the investors, besides I met ambassadors of 28 countries in Delhi and invited them to invest in
Odisha. In Bhubaneswar, we are going to hold Make in Odisha event,” the CM told, adding efforts for employment generation and uplifting the poor were on.
MP Jena told, “For effective disaster management, the State has been felicitated by the UNO.” He informed that Baleswar district in last two years has received about `1,221 crore for 1,712 projects, including medical college, roads and bridges, drinking water, irrigation and drainage etc.”