The narrow village roads are wearing a new look, walls are being whitewashed, welcome arches are coming up at key junctions and workers are putting the finishing touches to public spaces.
In the remote tribal village of Pahadpur, preparations are in full swing as it looks to script history.
Tucked away in the forests and farmlands of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, the village that shaped the political career of President Droupadi Murmu is being decked up to welcome both Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 20, the President’s birthday.
For the residents of this remote Santhal hamlet, the occasion is unique and a moment of pride as the village will host the country’s highest constitutional and political leadership.
Murmu and Modi will also share the dais at a public gathering at Dandbose, nearly 25 km away, to mark two years of the BJP government in the state. They will also inaugurate or lay the foundation stone of 72 projects worth around ~23,000 crore.
“The whole country will be looking at Pahadpur on Saturday. We want people to see our culture, our traditions and how far one of our daughters of the soil has gone. The Prime Minister will visit our village and the Gosani Peeth, our place of worship. It is a momentous occasion for our village,” said Rabindra Singh, a local resident.
Born into a Santali family in Uparbeda village, Murmu had moved to Pahadpur after marrying Shyam Charan Murmu. The village holds a poignant place in her life, as it was here that she suffered immense personal tragedies, losing her husband and two sons in seven years.
The transformation visible in Pahadpur mirrors a much larger change unfolding across Rairangpur, the nearby town from where Murmu launched her political career to emerge as one of Odisha’s most prominent tribal leaders.
Rairangpur has witnessed an unprecedented spate of development after Murmu assumed the highest office. Once a relatively small and remote sub-divisional town, it is steadily being turned into an educational, sporting, administrative and economic hub.
Road connectivity has improved substantially while three new railway lines —Badampahar-Keonjhar, Bangriposi-Gorumahishani and Buramara-Chakulia — have been proposed. A high-speed Vande Bharat train from Bangriposi to Puri with a stop at Baripada and a future link with Tata Nagar has also been proposed.
A number of ambitious projects are either under implementation, in the pipeline or awaiting final approval. Of the 38 projects planned for the tribal district, 22 are for Rairangpur. Among them are plans for a campus of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), a government Ayurvedic medical college and hospital and a central university or a central tribal university. The Union government has already announced that a campus of the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) will come up at Kusumi.
The town has already been declared a police district and the proposal to upgrade it as a district is under consideration of the government. While a sports complex, including a stadium, has been built and will be inaugurated along with a tribal research centre and a special circuit house on the occasion, a modern badminton complex and an international-standard archery complex will be developed to create opportunities for local youth. Tribal communities have long nurtured archery as part of their cultural tradition.
The development blueprint extends beyond education and sports. Proposals for an airport at Dandbose, an information technology special economic zone and expanded tourism infrastructure seek to create employment opportunities and attract investment to the region. A holiday home and visitor facilities have already been developed to cater to tourists and visitors interested in learning about Murmu’s journey.
The broader Similipal landscape is also expected to benefit from the growing attention. Efforts are underway to secure UNESCO World Heritage recognition for Similipal, one of India’s most important biodiversity hotspots. This could boost eco-tourism and conservation efforts while placing Mayurbhanj on the global tourism map.
Beyond the developmental narrative, the landmark visit carries considerable political significance. The BJP has consistently projected Murmu’s rise from Rairangpur to Raisina Hills as a symbol of social inclusion and empowerment. By choosing her birthplace and political homeland as the venue for celebrating two years of its first government in Odisha, the party might be seeking to send the message while deepening its outreach among tribal communities.
“The PM will interact with students of a skill centre at Pahadpur and offer floral tribute at the Samadhi sthal of the President’s husband. Several developmental projects are expected to be launched or dedicated to the public in Rairangpur,” Lok Sabha MP from Mayurbhanj Naba Charan Majhi said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has reviewed preparations for the event. He directed all the departments to work in coordination to ensure that there is no lapse during the mega public meeting and the movement of VVIPs.
