Jharsuguda is a city and headquarters of Jharsuguda district of Odisha, India. It is an industrial center, mainly made up of metallurgical industries. It is well connected to major cities in India through the railway network and the recently opened Jharsuguda Airport, now renamed Veer Surendra Sai Airport. It is popularly known as the "Power Station of Odisha" for its mega steel, aluminum and power projects. The first industrialist of SSI steel sector of the region was Mr. Jayprakash Badhan. Jharsuguda is also often called "Little India" due to its demographic, linguistic and cultural diversity. One of the oldest bars and hotels in the region is Kalinga Bar.
This district has significant tribal populations among which the major tribes are Sabara, Kisan, Kurukh, Bhuiyan, Munda, Santal. This district has a unique diversity in terms of tribal culture, language and other core cultures. The Kurukh people speak their native Kurukh language with the Sadri language. The Munda people speak their Ho language and the Kisan people speak their Kisan dialect and the Kharia speak their Kharia. Sadri and the local Odia dialect are also quite popular among the tribal communities.
