Bhubaneswar, Feb 17 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced a Rs 200-crore package for the development of the 16th-century shrine of Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western Odisha.

The SAMALEI (Samaleswari Temple Area Management and Local Economy Initiatives) project will be implemented during the 2021-22 fiscal.

It envisages construction of a km-long walkway for 'parikrama', separate entry and exit gates, emergency facilities for the temple office, interpretation centre and preservation of Gopalji Math besides accommodation, parking facilities, toilets, information kiosks and donation centres.

Housing will be developed for servitors and a 30- metre-wide road will be constructed from the temple to the Mahanadi Gate Road.

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