Naveen in New Delhi for railway MoU programme

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today began his five-day long tour to the national capital during which he will attend a function marking signing of an MoU with the Union Railway Ministry for two railway projects in the state, officials said here.

The MoU is scheduled to be signed at Rail Bhavan on October 10 where Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will also remain present.

Patnaik has also plans to meet Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and invite him to the Make in Odisha Conclave to be held here from November 30 to December 2.

The Conclave is organised by the Odisha government in collaboration with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP).

The new lines between Jeypore-Malkangiri and Jeypore-Nabarangpur, were sanctioned in the 2016-17 Railway Budget. The Railway Ministry had made token allocations for both the projects.

The Odisha government has already informed the Railway Ministry that it would bear 50 per cent project cost for the Jeypore-Nabarangapur project and 25 per cent project cost for the Jeypore-Malkangiri project.

This apart, the state government has also assured the Ministry that it would provide free of cost land for the Nabarangapur project.