What happens when a nondescript town produces the occupant of India’s highest office? Transformation becomes inevitable. If even a fraction of the projects lined up materialise, Rairangpur in Odisha, the hometown of President Droupadi Murmu, will have a compelling story to tell.

With just over a year left in her tenure, the town is poised to host some of the country’s prominent educational institutions and a slate of major development projects. Her tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district is also set to receive a share of the proposed investments.

Some of the projects are likely to be announced during the scheduled visit of President Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mayurbhanj district next week.

A Government Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital will be set up on 50 acres identified under Rairangpur Tahasil. The detailed project report has been prepared and communicated to the Ministry of Ayush. A sum of ₹85.68 crore has been approved.

The Odisha government has accorded approval for the establishment of a second campus of the Indian Institute of Forest Management at Rairangpur. An area of 134.89 acres at Suliduma and Kusumi villages under Kusumi Tahasil in Mayurbhanj has been identified for the institute. Representatives of the IIFM are expected to file a requisition for land allotment.

In-principle approval has been granted for the establishment of an Indian Institute of Information Technology at Rairangpur, which will function under Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University (MSCB University), Baripada. The State Higher Education Department has released a one-time capital grant of ₹1,67,25,600 towards non-recurring expenditure for the initial establishment of the institute.

A Central Tribal University has also been proposed at Rairangpur. The Higher Education Department has identified 70.79 acres in Bijatala block near Rairangpur for the purpose.

At Nuagaon in Rairangpur, 25 acres have been identified for an AIIMS Bhubaneswar satellite centre. The Health and Family Welfare Department has stated that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has assured support to upgrade a government hospital as a centre of excellence for tertiary healthcare services.

A Central Agricultural and Horticulture College of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology will be established in Rairangpur. About 189.68 acres have been identified in Jamda block.

The State Industries and MSME Department has been requested to provide the necessary guidance for establishing IT park infrastructure at Bamanghaty near Rairangpur.

The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests has been requested to involve the Wildlife Institute of India in preparing a dossier for the nomination of Similipal National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Similipal, Odisha’s largest biosphere reserve, lies in Mayurbhanj district near Rairangpur. The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is also expected to approve the Odisha government’s proposal for a Tribal Research Institute at Rairangpur.

A proposal has also been submitted for setting up a world-class skill university on the lines of Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Palwal, Haryana, at Rairangpur.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has allocated ₹45 crore for operationalising flights between Rairangpur and Rourkela once the Dandbose airstrip is ready. Sports infrastructure, including a national-level sports complex, an archery complex and an international-standard indoor stadium, has also been proposed for Rairangpur.

Apart from proposals to establish institutions of national importance, the State government has moved to promote tourism in Mayurbhanj district. The government has proposed increasing the area under irrigation in the district to 60% from the present 37%.

Several other projects, including a National Institute of Design, a major office of the Postal Department, a Mayurbhanj campus of the College of Fisheries, girls’ hostels in the district and the development of Rairangpur as a separate police district, have also been proposed. In addition, some industrial projects have been proposed for Rairangpur.

Ms. Murmu was born into a Santali family in Uparbeda village in the Baidaposi area of Rairangpur. She was married to a banker from Pahadpur in Kusumi block. Both villages are located about 20 km from Rairangpur, where she later built her home.

Rising from a humble background, she struggled to pursue higher education because of the absence of institutions near her native villages. At a time when it was rare for girls to step beyond their homes, she moved to Bhubaneswar to complete her schooling and college education. She began her career in government service but left it midway to enter public life. Her political journey progressed steadily, from councillor in the Rairangpur civic body to MLA, then Minister in the Odisha government, followed by her tenure as Governor of Jharkhand, and ultimately President of India.

The proposals to establish institutions of higher education in and around Rairangpur are being viewed as a tribute to Ms. Murmu’s perseverance and journey from the region to the country’s highest constitutional office.