The North News
Jharsuguda (Odisha), September 27
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched BSNL’s first indigenous 4G services in Jharsuguda, Odisha, marking what he called a step towards India’s self-reliance in telecom technology. The launch coincided with the state-owned telecom operator’s 25th anniversary. At an event on Saturday, Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects of total worth over ₹50,000 crore, covering sectors such as education, skill development, housing, and connectivity. He flagged off the Amrit Bharat train from Berhampur to Surat and announced approvals for two semiconductor units and a semiconductor park in Odisha, projecting the state as a future hub for chip manufacturing.
“India is now among the select five countries to have developed fully indigenous 4G technology,” Modi said, adding that nearly one lakh towers would extend high-speed internet to 30,000 previously unconnected villages. He said the new network would directly benefit more than 20 million people nationwide.
The Prime Minister also announced a ₹70,000 crore shipbuilding package, expected to draw ₹4.5 lakh crore in investments and create millions of jobs across steel, machinery, electronics and small industries. He said the initiative would strengthen both trade and national security.
Modi distributed approval letters under the Antyodaya Griha Yojana, saying about 50,000 families in Odisha would receive new homes, including 40,000 tribal families under the PM Janman Yojana. He praised Chief Minister Mohan Majhi’s government for supporting the housing drive.
Calling Odisha “a land blessed by nature but long burdened by poverty”, Modi said the coming decade would bring prosperity through major central projects. He added that an industrial corridor from Paradip to Jharsuguda was being developed, with a focus on creating jobs for youth.
Union Minister for Railways and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, joined the event virtually from Surat.
