Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Reserve Bank of India’s new Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, October 25, in a move officials say will strengthen the technological backbone of India’s financial system. The inauguration, scheduled for around 4.45 pm, comes at the end of a packed day for the Prime Minister, who will first visit Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh before flying to Odisha.
The Bhubaneswar facility is not a routine government building. It will act as the central bank’s second major data hub, backing up its primary centre in Navi Mumbai, and it will host some of the most sensitive systems in Indian finance, from payment and settlement networks to currency management. For ordinary users, that matters in a very practical way: it is the infrastructure that helps UPI payments, bank transfers and other digital transactions keep running safely, even when systems face stress or attack.
What is being inaugurated in Bhubaneswar
The new campus sits at Info Valley-II in Jatni, in Khordha district near Bhubaneswar, on an 18.55 acre site. According to official briefings, it will serve as a secondary and backup data centre to the RBI’s primary facility in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, improving business continuity, financial data security, currency management, and payment and settlement operations.
The complex comprises four state of the art data centres that will host mission critical payment and settlement systems along with other flagship RBI initiatives. It has received Uptime Institute Tier IV certification, the highest tier for data centre resilience, and officials describe it as among the largest Tier IV certified facilities in the global banking, financial services and insurance sector.
In plain terms, Tier IV means deep redundancy: power, cooling and network systems are designed so that a single failure does not bring operations down.
Why the location matters
Bhubaneswar was chosen for more than convenience. Officials and analysts have pointed to its relatively low seismic risk and its distance from India’s western and northern borders, factors that reduce exposure to major earthquake activity and to cross border security threats. Unlike Mumbai and Chennai, which host a large share of India’s data centres and are landing points for major subsea cables, Odisha offers a degree of insulation from concentrated network risks.
The foundation stone for the project was laid on March 22, 2023, by then RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The long road from foundation to inauguration reflects the scale of the build, which had to meet exacting standards for physical security, cyber protection and round the clock operations before it could take on live financial systems.
A training institute for cyber threats
Alongside the data centre, the Prime Minister will inaugurate an Enterprise Computing and Cybersecurity Training Institute. The institute is meant to be a dedicated platform for cybersecurity and enterprise technology training, research and capability building across the financial sector.
Its focus areas include emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence, alongside other advanced technologies relevant to banking and financial services. That focus is timely. Financial institutions face a steady rise in cyberattacks and fraud, and regulators have progressively tightened cybersecurity expectations for banks and payment firms. A dedicated institute signals a shift from simply meeting compliance checklists to building deep, homegrown expertise.
What it means for India’s digital economy
India’s economy now runs heavily on digital rails. Millions of people pay by phone every day, businesses settle invoices online, and government payments flow through digital channels. All of that depends on systems that must be secure, scalable and future ready, in the RBI’s own description of the new facility.
Officials say the centre will improve the reach, efficiency and reliability of digital financial services and reinforce the RBI’s standing as a leader in digital infrastructure among central banks worldwide. Reliable financial infrastructure also lowers risk for businesses, supports confidence in digital payments, and helps new services reach people in smaller towns as well as big cities.
The Prime Minister’s Sunday itinerary
Before Bhubaneswar, the Prime Minister will be in Varanasi, where he will inaugurate a new garment manufacturing facility at around 11 am and then attend the Indian Air Force Day Aerial Display 2026 at Namo Ghat as chief guest at around 1 pm. He will then travel to Bhubaneswar for the RBI inauguration at around 4.45 pm and address the gathering on the occasion.
FAQs
When will the RBI Data Centre in Bhubaneswar be inaugurated?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at around 4.45 pm, after engagements in Varanasi.
Where is the new RBI Data Centre located?
It is located at Info Valley-II in Jatni, Khordha district, near Bhubaneswar, on an 18.55 acre campus.
What will the data centre do?
It will serve as a secondary and backup centre to the RBI’s primary facility in Navi Mumbai, hosting mission critical payment and settlement systems, currency management and other core financial operations.
What is Tier IV certification?
Tier IV is the highest Uptime Institute standard for data centre resilience, meaning the facility is built with full redundancy so that a single system failure does not disrupt operations.
What is the Cybersecurity Training Institute for?
It will provide training, research and capability building in cybersecurity and enterprise technology for the financial sector, including areas such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
Sunday’s inauguration will put a national spotlight on Bhubaneswar, but its real test will come quietly, in the months ahead, as the systems it hosts keep India’s payments and financial networks running securely, day after day.
