Development of Odisha top priority, says Dharmendra Pradhan

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Paradip, Nov 16:

The Narendra Modi government has given top priority to the development of eastern India, including Odisha, Union Petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Sunday.

Laying the foundation stone for the modern polypropelene unit at the premises of the upcoming refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) here, Pradhan said the 700 TMTA capacity unit to be set up at a cost of Rs 3, 150 crores would be operational in three years’ time.

An ambitious plan for an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in Odisha in the petroleum sector alone had been drawn up and rolled out after he became the minister, Pradhan said.

“My priority is to create opportunity for the setting up of downstream industries in the petroleum sector in Odisha and job opportunities for Odia youth,” the minister said.

A whopping Rs 34, 555 crore is being spent on the Pradip oil refinery, the dream project of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which would be dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the beginning of 2015, he said.

“The time has come to take development to the door steps of the people for the development of Odisha,” he said.

Among others, two senior ministers of the state government – Damodar Rout and Debi Prasad Mishra – local MP Kulamani Samal and officials of IOCL were present at the foundation laying ceremony.