Koraput: During Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s two-day visit to Koraput, significant announcements were made regarding the overall development of undivided Koraput district. Addressing a press conference, Odisha’s School and Higher Education Minister Nityananda Gond informed that the visit was highly productive, and a comprehensive review was held with all concerned officials to ensure accelerated development of the region.
Key highlights:
Plans are being made to manufacture aircraft engine components required for Sukhoi jets locally in undivided Koraput, reducing dependence on imports.
Out of 462 PM SHRI Central Schools opened across Odisha, 300 more are under process.
Odisha has moved from 14th to 5th rank in national performance assessments.
Efforts are underway to market Koraput coffee and Kotpad handloom products, which could bring economic prosperity to the region.
A Special Small and Medium Enterprises (SSME) cluster will be set up in Koraput, and 500 acres of land have been directed to be identified by the District Collector for this purpose. The aim is to create job opportunities for youth entrepreneurs across four districts.
Higher Education Minister Surjya Banshi Suraj stated that both the Prime Minister and Chief Minister are focused on the development of aspirational districts like Koraput.
A grant of ₹610 crore has been sanctioned for the development of Central University of Odisha (CUO) in Koraput. Since 40% of Odisha’s population is tribal, and many tribal students are not inclined toward higher education, efforts are being made to introduce vocational courses such as Agro-Forestry, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning at CUO.
Additionally:
CUO has partnered with five central institutions for curriculum development.
Initiatives are underway to promote Koraput coffee globally (including exports to California) and to sell Kotpad handloom products online.
Plans are in place to teach students in local languages and to establish sports complexes in 14 blocks to reduce dropout rates in backward regions.
Koraput District Collector V. Keerthi Vasan was present at the press conference.
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