Bhubaneswar, August 10: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated Odisha’s first desalination plant in Ganjam, a milestone project aimed at providing clean drinking water to surrounding areas through indigenous technology.
The facility, set up by Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL) using a membrane developed by the Atomic Energy Research Centre, will convert seawater into potable water. “Prime Minister Modi launched the project last year. The cost of producing drinking water or water for agricultural use through this technology will be just 11 paisa per litre,” Pradhan said.
The minister also attended the ‘Garib Kalyan Vikash Samabesh’ event, where he underlined Ganjam district’s economic significance. “From Surat to Coimbatore, Tirupur to Hyderabad, and Bangalore to Ahmedabad, the people of Ganjam have made notable contributions to the nation’s economy. Under the double-engine government and the Prime Minister’s vision of self-reliance, we aim to make Ganjam a growth engine,” he added.
