Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday attended the foundation-laying ceremony of the JSW-JFE steel project in Sambalpur, terming it a key step in strengthening India-Japan economic cooperation.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Ambassador of Japan to India Ono Keiichi, and JSW Group Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal, along with government officials and industry leaders.
In a post on X, Pradhan described the project as a milestone in the deepening economic and strategic partnership between India and Japan as the two countries approach 75 years of diplomatic relations.
He said the collaboration between JSW Group and JFE Holdings brings together Japanese technological expertise and Indian industrial capability, with a shared focus on responsible growth.
Pradhan noted that the investment has the potential to strengthen Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and the wider western Odisha region as an emerging manufacturing and logistics hub, while emphasising the importance of local employment, skill development, and community participation.
“For western Odisha, this investment carries the potential to further strengthen Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, and the wider region as an emerging manufacturing and logistics hub – where industrial expansion must advance alongside local employment, skill development, and community participation,” he noted.
