The Prime Minister chaired a special meeting to review progress of infrastructure projects in Orissa. The meeting reviewed implementation of road, railway, port, power, coal, steel, mining and forest land development projects. In his opening remarks the Prime Minister said that the Central Government would take all steps needed to promote development in Orissa. He assured the Chief Minister that procedural delays and inter-ministerial issues will be addressed and the State's interests protected.

The review meeting was extremely fruitful and helped identify the problems with respect to various infrastructure projects, it fixed responsibility for taking next steps, it fixed time lines for taking decisions and implementing them and it directed the State Government and the respected Central Ministries to carry forward the discussions at the earliest. The State Government assured the Central Government that issues pertaining to POSCO will be addressed to the satisfaction of all and that through persuasion of stake holders the project will be taken forward.

The meeting was attended among others by the Union Finance Minister, the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, the Principal Secretary to PM and Twelve Secretaries to Government of India from concerned Ministries.

This is the second meeting that the Prime Minister has chaired with a State Chief Minister and with senior Central Government officials to review development projects in a State. The Prime Minister had chaired a similar meeting on Jammu & Kashmir last year. The Prime Minister will be convening similar meetings with other State Governments to review the implementation of infrastructure projects and clear bureaucratic hurdles.

The Chief Minister of Orissa Mr. Naveen Patnaik thanked the Prime Minister for taking the initiative and organizing the meeting.