PM asks Orissa govt to expedite Posco project

NEW DELHI, APR 19: Eager to expedite the progress of the Posco project in the state, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday urged Orissa chief minister Naveen Patnaik to remove the hurdles faced by the South Korean steel major in setting up the 12-million-tonne steel plant.

“The Prime Minister wanted to inquire about the progress of all the projects in Orissa. Posco of course was one of them and the Prime minister asked the government to expedite the process of land acquisition for the project. But no time frame has been set yet,” Naveen Patnaik said.

Orissa has its own rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy and the state government is likely to abide by it. “We have the our own R&R policy and we would acquire land in a very humane manner,” the chief minister added.

The Orissa government has recommended giving prospecting license of iron-ore to Posco to the central government, soon, Naveen Patnaik informed reporters.

The Posco project is the single-highest foreign direct investment undertaken in India.

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