New Delhi, Sep 27 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha on Saturday to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 60,000 crore in Jharsuguda, an official statement said.

These projects span various sectors, including telecommunications, railways, higher education, healthcare, skill development, and rural housing, among others. He will also address a public gathering on the occasion.

In the field of telecom connectivity, the Prime Minister will commission more than 97,500 mobile 4G towers built at a cost of around Rs 37,000 crore with Swadeshi technology, said the statement.

This includes more than 92,600 4G technology sites commissioned by BSNL.

Over 18,900 4G sites have been funded under the Digital Bharat Nidhi, which will connect around 26,700 unconnected villages in remote, border, and left-wing extremism-affected areas, serving over 20 lakh new subscribers, it said.

These towers are solar-powered, making them India’s largest cluster of green telecom sites and a step forward in sustainable infrastructure.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation important railway projects that will boost connectivity and regional growth.

These include foundation stone for Rail Flyover at Sambalpur–Sarla, dedication to the nation of the doubling of the Koraput–Baiguda line, and the Manabar–Koraput–Gorapur line.

These projects will significantly improve freight and passenger movement in Odisha and neighbouring states, strengthening local industries and trade.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister will also flag off the Amrit Bharat Express between Berhampur and Udhna (Surat), providing affordable and comfortable connectivity across states, supporting tourism, creating employment opportunities, and linking key economic districts.

PM Modi will also lay the foundation stones for the expansion of eight IITs —Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Dharwad, Jodhpur, Patna, and Indore — at an investment of around Rs 11,000 crore.

–IANS

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