Recent Current Affairs related to Odisha

President Droupadi Murmu has appointed new Governors for 6 Indian states. It includes: Rajendra Arlekar as the full-time Governor of Tamil Nadu, OP Mathur for Kerala, Dr Sudha Yadav for Karnataka, Braj Mohan Ram for Odisha, Dhal Singh Bisen for Uttarakhand, and Dushyant Gautam for Sikkim.

Union Minister of State Sanjay Seth has inaugurated the 12th National Maritime Search & Rescue Exercise (SAREX-2026) organised by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) off the Paradip coast in Odisha.

The exercise witnessed the participation of 32 observers from 30 countries to bolster international cooperation and operational synergy in maritime safety.

The Odisha government has launched the first digital portal in India for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism.

The platform is designed to streamline incentive applications and facilitate approvals to position the state as a premier destination for corporate events.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has agreed to develop the “Shree Jagannath International Airport” (SJIA) in Puri, Odisha, at an estimated cost of ₹5,631 crore.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has designated four major and commercial facilities as the first “mega ports” of India under Section 73 of the Indian Ports Act, 2025.

The identified ports include the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Nhava Sheva, Paradip Port, Deendayal Port in Kandla, and the Mundra Port operated by the Adani Group.

The “mega port” status is granted for a 5-year duration, subject to periodic reviews, based on specific operational benchmarks. To qualify for this status, a bulk port must register an annual cargo throughput of at least 150 Million Metric Tonnes (MMT), while a container port is required to handle a minimum of 7.5 Million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (MTEUs).

PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 5th edition of SEMICON India 2026 at the Yashobhoomi India International Convention & Expo Centre in New Delhi, held under the theme “Silicon to Systems: Building the Ecosystem”.

The event is organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in partnership with Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) and concluded with the exchange of 56 MoUs.

The central government has secured investment commitments of around ₹1 lakh crore under Semicon 2.0. It was also announced that the “Odisha Silicon Valley” will be established at Naraj in Cuttack, Odisha.

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav has distributed the first PRAMAAN certificates under the Indian Forest and Wood Certification Scheme (IFWCS) in New Delhi.

The certificates were awarded to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Development Corporation (APFDC) for its plantations covering 33,000 hectares, and to Govind Mohapatra, a farmer associated with the Odisha Bamboo Development Agency (OBDA).

The Ministry of Mines launched the PM Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) in 2015 to ensure that mining-affected communities receive developmental benefits.

The scheme has completed 11 years since its inception, with more than 4.7 lakh projects sanctioned at a total valuation exceeding ₹1 lakh crore. Implementation of the scheme is managed through District Mineral Foundations (DMFs).

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has granted in-principle approval for the establishment of an AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The AI CoE will function as a national-level hub for AI innovation, startup incubation, and solution deployment.

The initiative will be implemented by the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) under MeitY, in collaboration with Blue Cloud Softech Solutions as the industry partner.

The West Bengal government has approved a proposal by the DRDO to establish a new weapon and missile testing range at Junput village in Purba Medinipur district. Situated along the Bay of Bengal coast, the facility will be the third major missile-testing hub for the DRDO.

Existing testing infrastructures include the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Odisha (at Chandipur and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island) and the Navdurga Missile Test Range (NMTR) currently being developed at Nagayalanka, Andhra Pradesh.

Tata Steel Ltd (Tata Steel) has commissioned a “Coke Oven Gas (COG) Injection Project” at its Meramandali plant in Odisha. The project, implemented at Blast Furnace 1, is the first-ever initiative of its kind in the Indian steel industry.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Dr Jitendra Singh has virtually inaugurated the 51st state-of-the-art Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) of India at Sambalpur, Odisha.

He highlighted that the national DWR network has expanded from 14 units in 2014 to the current 51. He also stated that 40 additional radars are planned for deployment under the “Mission Mausam” initiative.

The Odisha government has signed agreements with the UAE-based International Holding Company (IHC) and the Adani Group to explore 14 projects involving an indicative investment of ₹2.1 lakh crore.

Additionally, a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between the state government and the Indian Business & Professional Group (IBPG) to bolster trade, exports, and investments between Odisha and the UAE.

The National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) under the Ministry of Mines (MoM) has signed a technology licensing agreement with the UAE-based Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to expand the NALCO aluminium smelter in Angul, Odisha.

Under the agreement, the DX+ Ultra technology of the EGA will be implemented for the expansion of the smelter.

The Odisha government has signed two strategic MoUs with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and CivicDataLab (CDL) in Bhubaneswar.

The partnership aims to strengthen the disaster risk management ecosystem of the state by leveraging data, technology, and innovation, and fostering institutional collaboration.

The National Shipbuilding and Heavy Industries Park Odisha Ltd (NSHIPOL) has received in-principle approval to establish a shipbuilding and heavy industries cluster in Kendrapara, Odisha, with a projected investment of ₹24,700 crore.

The approval was granted under the Shipbuilding Development Scheme (SbDS) of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW). The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising the Odisha Maritime Board (OMB) and the Paradip Port Authority (PPA).

Ashutosh Parida, a renowned Odia poet and former scientist, has been selected for the 47th edition of the Sarala Puraskar for his poetry collection titled “Bishwas De Pruthwi” (2024). The award carries a cash prize of ₹7 lakh.

The Odisha government has launched the ‘Bidesh Sikhyabruti’ scholarship scheme to provide financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh per year to meritorious Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students pursuing higher education abroad.

Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated 7 major infrastructure projects at the Paradip Port Authority (PPA) in Odisha, with a total outlay of ₹427.8 crore. The projects are intended to strengthen the capacity and operational efficiency of the port.

The PPA has attained an 18.5-metre deep-draft capability, enabling the handling of larger cargo vessels. Furthermore, concession agreements for 3 mechanisation projects were signed with a cumulative investment of ₹1,580.36 crore. The port also reached an environmental milestone by completing its one-millionth tree plantation.

The Odisha government has signed a tripartite agreement with Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to implement the amended BharatNet programme in the state. The project has an outlay of ₹3,384.8 crore.

Additionally, the state government has also signed an MoU with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to collaborate in the field of emerging technologies.