CM unveils projects worth Rs 430 crore for Mayurbhanj

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday unveiled 39 projects worth over Rs 430 crore in Mayurbhanj, including inauguration of a 650-bed teaching hospital at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College in Baripada, built at a cost of Rs 258 crore.

The rollout comes days ahead of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the district on June 20 to mark the govt’s second anniversary. Of the total, Majhi laid foundation stones for 21 projects worth over Rs 282 crore and inaugurated 18 projects valued at over Rs 149 crore in the tribal-dominated district, the President’s native place.

Terming the new hospital in Baripada a major boost to healthcare, Majhi said, “The state-of-the-art facility would transform medical services not only in Mayurbhanj but across north Odisha and adjoining regions.” Equipped with advanced diagnostics, specialist departments, critical care and emergency services, along with modern teaching infrastructure, the hospital is expected to significantly strengthen healthcare delivery in the region.

The medical college, established in 2017, had so far been operating from the old district headquarters hospital. The new facility is expected to expand access to specialised treatment for residents of Mayurbhanj, neighbouring districts and border areas of adjoining states, cutting the need for patients to travel to distant urban centres. With enhanced bed capacity and modern infrastructure, it is poised to emerge as a key referral centre in north Odisha.

Majhi said the project would particularly benefit tribal communities in the district by improving access to community health services, maternal and child care, and public health awareness. He added that the availability of advanced treatment closer to home would ease both financial and physical hardships for patients’ families.

Describing the day as a milestone, the CM said the launch of projects spanning transport, healthcare, drinking water and other public welfare sectors marks a ‘new chapter’ in the development of Mayurbhanj and north Odisha, generating considerable enthusiasm among local residents.

He also inaugurated 83 drinking water projects worth nearly Rs 100 crore, aimed at addressing long-standing supply issues and improving daily life in the region. These initiatives, he said, would ensure better access to basic services across the district.

Highlighting the state’s healthcare expansion, Majhi said 3.46 crore beneficiaries from 1.3 crore families are currently covered under Ayushman Bharat–Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana, availing free treatment in empanelled hospitals nationwide. He added that within 20 months of the present govt, three new medical colleges have been made operational in Jajpur, Kandhamal and Talcher. Plans are also underway to set up new medical colleges in Nabarangpur, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur and Bhadrak.

To strengthen AYUSH services, the govt is working to establish three new Ayurvedic colleges in Gajapati, Malkangiri and Rayagada, and two homeopathic colleges in Nayagarh and Nuapada, he said.

Later, Majhi visited the medical college campus and interacted with students. Addressing them, he said medicine is “not merely a profession but a sacred calling”, urging them to serve the poor and marginalised, particularly those in remote tribal areas.

He also recalled the legacy of social reformer Pandit Raghunath Murmu, after whom the institution is named, and called upon future doctors to uphold values of service and compassion.