Puri (Odisha) [India], October 25 (ANI): Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created sand sculptures on Puri Beach to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the inauguration of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Speaking to ANI, Pattnaik described the inauguration as a significant occasion for Odisha and said, "It is a momentous and fortunate day for Odisha, as the RBI's data centre is set to be inaugurated here. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform the inauguration. To welcome him, we as artists have created sand sculptures on Puri Beach."

The sand artist said the sculptures were created to mark the historic occasion and extend a warm welcome to the Prime Minister, who is scheduled to inaugurate the facilities during his visit to the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Odisha on Sunday and inaugurate the RBI's Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar at around 4.45 pm. He will also address the gathering.

According to the release, the newly established facilities are aimed at strengthening the technological foundations of India's financial system by providing a secure, resilient, scalable and future-ready computing ecosystem for the RBI and the broader financial sector.

Four state-of-the-art data centres will host mission-critical payment and settlement systems, along with other flagship initiatives. The facility has been certified to the Uptime Institute Tier IV standard, a global benchmark for data centre infrastructure, placing it in the highest tier of operational resilience.

According to the release, the facility is among the largest Tier IV-certified facilities in the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector worldwide.

It is expected to improve the reach, efficiency and reliability of digital financial services and provide a secure digital foundation for India's increasingly technology-driven financial economy. It will also strengthen the RBI's position in digital infrastructure among central banks.

Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity Training Institute will provide a dedicated platform for cybersecurity and enterprise-technology training, research and capability development across the financial sector.

The institute will focus on cutting-edge technologies relevant to the BFSI sector, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, the release added. (ANI)