Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday affirmed that the proposed mega steel plant in Keonjhar district is firmly on track, stating that the project has advanced by two steps.

During his two-day visit to his home district, the Chief Minister reviewed major industrial, infrastructure, and development projects, including the large-scale steel plant planned by JSW and POSCO with an investment of approximately Rs 400 billion in the Patna region.

He assessed the status of land identification and acquisition for the project, noting that one of the companies involved has already deposited funds for the process. Speaking to the media, Majhi said, “Apart from the mega steel plant, nine additional industrial projects will be established in the district, and necessary steps are being taken for their swift implementation.”

The district administration has identified two parcels of land for the steel plant: one in Taramakanta village under Banspal block, around 47 km from Keonjhar town, and another in the Patna area.

During his February visit, the Chief Minister had announced the joint venture between JSW and POSCO to set up a major steel plant in Keonjhar. He had also revealed that other steel facilities would be developed across the district, involving total investments of Rs 1 trillion.

The JSW Group, led by Sajjan Jindal, signed a memorandum of understanding with the state government on 8 January during the Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave to establish a 5 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel plant in Keonjhar. In October of the previous year, JSW and South Korea’s POSCO had signed an MoU to develop an integrated steel plant in India with an initial capacity of 5 MTPA, although the final location had not been confirmed at that time.

To drive the Keonjhar steel plant project forward, the Chief Minister has constituted a task force led by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja.