Recent Current Affairs related to Odisha

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.

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.