Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth more than ₹47,000 crore in Odisha, with a focus on energy, infrastructure, railways and regional development. The announcement was made during his visit to Mayurbhanj district, where President Droupadi Murmu and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi were also present.

The function took place in connection with the birthday of President Murmu, where PM Modi greeted her along with her contributions towards serving the public. The projects announced on the visit intend to speed up the economic development of Odisha along with infrastructure development.

One such significant highlight of this visit was the announcement by PM Modi about developing the Pahadpur village in Mayurbhanj, which is the ancestral village of President Murmu, into a “Solar Village”.

Talking of the solar heritage of Odisha, PM Modi said that as the Konark Sun Temple has made a distinct identity for the state, the same will happen with Pahadpur, which will emerge as a solar village.

The projects unveiled during the programme cover multiple sectors, including power generation, coal gasification, railway infrastructure and other development initiatives. The government said these investments are expected to improve connectivity, create employment opportunities and support Odisha’s long-term growth.

PM Modi also emphasised the role of tribal communities in India’s development journey, stating that the government’s focus is on expanding opportunities in education, healthcare, livelihoods and infrastructure for tribal regions.

The visit marked as one of the most important steps taken to integrate economic development with renewable energy development as the project of building a solar village at Pahadpur demonstrated the government's commitment towards renewable energy.