Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts to make India an "economic powerhouse", Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday asserted that development has given a new identity to his state.
Patnaik was speaking at a function at Chandikhol in Jajpur district where the PM laid the foundation and dedicated to the nation various development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crore.
"The prime minister has set a new direction for India. He is taking India on an accelerated drive to make it an economic powerhouse. India is now the fifth largest economy and is marching forward to become the number 3 in a few years," the chief minister said.
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"It is a matter of happiness that the PM has launched several projects for Odisha including Chandikhol-Paradeep national highway, expansion of several other NHs, a desalination plant, an LPG terminal at Paradip, a gas pipeline project, and a new train line," he said.
Patnaik thanked the PM for his focus on the development of Odisha.
Stating that Odisha is going to become a major manufacturing hub of eastern India, Patnaik said the state has witnessed transformation through the development of both social and physical infrastructure.
"Women members of Mission Shakti are becoming entrepreneurs. Odisha has also received the second-highest investment in the country," he claimed.
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"Development has given a new identity to Odisha. But still much more has to be done," he added.
He said that the Jagannath Temple Parikrama Project has been inaugurated while work for the development of Samaleswari Temple in Sambalpur has also been launched.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan thanked the PM for launching several developmental projects for Odisha and also conferring Padma Awards on 49 Odia people in the last 10 years.
