Recent Current Affairs related to Odisha

The Odisha government has signed an MoU with HCL Technologies (HCLTech) and Sarvam AI to set up the first AI data centre of the state.

The facility will be located at the Odisha Sovereign AI Park in Bhubaneswar, with a total project outlay of ₹14,257 crore.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved 2 multitracking projects under the Ministry of Railways with an estimated cost of ₹3,907 crore.

These projects, covering 145 km across 4 districts in Odisha and Jharkhand, include the doubling of the Paradeep to Haridaspur line and the construction of a 4th line between Rajkharsawan and Dangoaposi. The projects are scheduled to be completed by FY31.

The Department of Fisheries has organised the national launch of the 'Letter of Authorisation' (LoA) for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan presided over the event and launched the LoA for Sustainable Harnessing of Fisheries in the High Seas. He also unveiled the 'Odisha Deep Sea Mission Document'.

The National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) have signed a joint venture agreement to establish a 1,080 MW captive thermal power plant in Angul, Odisha.

The project will be developed through a 50:50 joint venture and will consist of four units of 270 MW each. This project is aimed at supporting the aluminium capacity expansion of Nalco.

Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) and International Resources Holding (IRH), a part of the International Holding Company (IHC) group, have signed an MoU with the Odisha government on setting up an integrated greenfield aluminium project with an investment of $11.5 billion (₹1.08 lakh crore).

PM Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu have visited Odisha and inaugurated/laid foundation stones for various developmental projects worth over ₹47,600 crore at Rairangpur.

They jointly laid the foundation stone for India's first commercial-scale 'Coal-to-Ammonium Nitrate Project' at Lakhanpur. They also participated in a programme marking the completion of 2 years of the Odisha government, themed 'Vikas ra Dhara, Odisha Sara'.

During the visit, 60 projects were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid for 12 projects across various sectors. PM Modi also announced that Pahadpur will be developed as a 'Model Solar Village', ensuring every household is equipped for solar power generation.

Sudarsan Pattnaik, a sand artist from Puri, Odisha, has won the Russia Grand Sand Master Cup 2026 at the II International Festival of Sand Sculpture in Kaliningrad, Russia. He is the first Indian to receive this honour.

His winning entry was a 3-meter high sand sculpture depicting two contrasting faces of Earth. It is to be noted that he was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2014 for his contributions to the field of Arts.

The DRDO has conducted three consecutive flight tests of its integrated multi-layered Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system. These trials, executed from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha, demonstrated the system’s capability to intercept long-range (5,000 km) and medium-range (2,000 km) missiles using two advanced interceptor missiles.

Additionally, the maiden flight test of the indigenous Naval Anti-Ship Missile–Medium Range (NASM-MR) was also successfully conducted.

The DRDO has successfully conducted the flight-test of the indigenous Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile (LRLACM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.

All sub-systems of the missile were developed by various DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners, with the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) in Bengaluru serving as the nodal laboratory for the project.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the 4-laning of the Armoor-Jagtial-Mancherial section of National Highway (NH)-63 and the Jagtial-Karimnagar section of NH-563. These projects, spanning a total length of 190.76 km, will be developed at an estimated cost of ₹7,597 crore.

Additionally, the CCEA has sanctioned the construction of a new coastal highway connecting Rameshwar to Paradeep in Odisha. The project, spanning 160.18 km, will be implemented at an estimated cost of ₹8,300 crore.

India has secured the hosting rights for the 2027 Asian Relay Championships and the 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships, marking the first time both events will be hosted in India.

The decision was finalized by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) during an executive council meeting in Hong Kong, chaired by Dahlan Al Hamad. The 2027 Asian Relay Championships will be held at the Sector 7 Sports Complex in Chandigarh, while the 2028 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships will be hosted at the Kalinga Stadium complex indoor facility in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

The Government of Odisha has signed an MoU with Intel Corporation and 3DGS Inc to establish an Advanced Packaging Glass Core Substrate Manufacturing Facility in the Bhubaneswar–Khurda region.

The project involves an estimated investment of $3.3 billion, making it one of the largest high-technology manufacturing investments in India.

Scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI) in Cuttack, Odisha, led by Kutubuddin Ali Molla, have developed and validated a platform named “Plant-OpenCRISPR1” (POC1).

This represents the first AI-designed genome-editing platform in the world for plants, developed utilizing rice as a model crop. The POC1 platform facilitates advanced gene knockout, base editing, and prime editing in rice crops using AI-designed enzymes, surpassing conventional Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) technologies.

It is to be noted that the research findings have been accepted for publication in the international journal “New Phytologist”.

India has successfully test-fired the Agni-1 missile from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Chandipur, Odisha. The test was conducted under the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) to validate all operational and technical parameters of the system.

Agni-1 is an indigenous, single-stage, surface-to-surface Short Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM) powered by solid propellants. Designed for rapid deployment via road or rail mobile launchers, the missile has an operational strike range of 700-900 km and is capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear warheads.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has inaugurated the Bhimmandali Eco Heritage Site in the Naktideul Block of Sambalpur district, Odisha. The centre has sanctioned over ₹8.3 crore for the project.

He also inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 304 projects, including a new Nursing College at the Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital with an investment of ₹580 crore. The Panchayati Raj Samikshya portal was also launched to enhance transparency and accountability in rural governance systems.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has renewed its strategic partnership with the Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS) of the Government of Odisha by signing a 5-year MoU.

The agreement builds upon the initial collaboration established in 2023. The partnership aims to expand elite youth football and solidify the position of Odisha as the premier football hub in India.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV) in Rayagada, Odisha, with an outlay of ₹1,700 crore. Under the initiative, 827 road projects spanning 1,701.84 km have been initiated at a cost of ₹1,698.04 crore to provide all-weather connectivity to 898 habitations for the first time.

The project targets 898 villages across 8 districts in Odisha to enhance connectivity in remote and underserved regions. It is to be noted that the financial responsibility for the PMGSY-IV is shared between the central and state governments in a 60:40 ratio.

India has successfully conducted the second flight trial of the Agni-5 missile, integrated with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology.

The test, designated as “Mission Divyastra”, was carried out from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. It is to be noted that Agni-5 is a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a strike range exceeding 5,000 km.

India has successfully conducted the second flight test of the indigenous Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LR-AShM) from Launch Complex-IV at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. The missile, developed by the DRDO, successfully engaged a target at a distance of over 1,500 km.

The missile system is powered by a two-stage solid propulsion mechanism. It is capable of reaching a peak speed of Mach 10 and maintains an average speed of Mach 5 during its cruise and glide phases.

L&T Energy Hydrocarbon Onshore, a division of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), has secured a contract valued between ₹2,500 crore and ₹5,000 crore from Bharat Coal Gasification and Chemicals Ltd (BCGCL) to develop a coal-to-ammonium nitrate project in Odisha.

BCGCL is a Joint Venture (JV) between Coal India Ltd (CIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). The project is designed to produce 2,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate per day, aiming to reduce import dependence and conserve foreign exchange.