Bhawanipatna: Kalahandi witnessed a landmark day on Sunday in its development journey as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for thousands of projects across the district, signalling a renewed commitment to rapid growth, infrastructure strengthening, and inclusive progress.
At a public gathering in Bhawanipatna, the CM officially launched a total of 3,612 development projects with a combined value of Rs891.39 crore. Out of these, 971 completed projects amounting to Rs193.36 crore were formally inaugurated, while foundation stones were laid for another 2,641 projects worth Rs698.03 crore. These works cover a diverse range of sectors, including rural roads, piped drinking water systems, school infrastructure, community facilities, healthcare buildings, and livelihood improvement initiatives, all aimed at addressing long-standing needs across Kalahandi’s urban and rural areas.
The CM also announced several major commitments that are expected to transform the region over the coming years. He confirmed that work on the eagerly awaited Utei Raul Irrigation Project will begin very soon, with an estimated cost of Rs3,325 crore. Once completed, this project is expected to provide assured irrigation to vast agricultural tracts, dramatically reducing the dependence of farmers on erratic monsoon rainfall and enabling higher crop yields and farm income.
In another significant announcement, Majhi declared that the stretch from Kalahandi to Nabarangpur will be developed as a dedicated Cotton Production Cluster. This initiative is expected to bolster the cotton farming ecosystem, draw investment in ginning and value-addition units, and open up new employment opportunities linked to the textile and agricultural sectors.
To further strengthen grassroots governance, the CM, in a post on X, stated that a public grievance hearing programme will be organised in Bhawanipatna, ensuring citizens have a direct channel to raise issues, seek solutions, and engage with the administration.
The scale and ambition of the initiatives launched mark one of the largest single-day interventions in Kalahandi in recent times, reflecting the government’s long-term vision for balanced regional progress. With thousands of new projects underway, a large irrigation programme set to reshape farming prospects, and renewed focus on agro-industrial growth, Kalahandi is poised to step into a new phase of development and opportunity.
