Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Tuesday urged industrialists to invest in the state, stating that the government is ready to go the extra mile to facilitate the investment process.
Majhi said this in his welcome address in the ‘Utkarsh Odisha-Make in Odisha Conclave’, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by around 7,500 delegates including several from 17 foreign countries.
Noting that more than two dozen states in the country are vying to attract investment which is great for Indian economy, Majhi said, “We are geared up to walk the extra mile to make your (investors) lives a little easier. The state government is ready to walk three steps, if you choose to walk half a step.”
Informing the industrialists that the state government has taken several measures to facilitate growth of industries in the state, Majhi said decisions included single window clearance and doing away with avoidable documentation.
The Chief Minister said Odisha is not only the land of opportunities but going to be the “driving engine” of India, especially in Eastern India as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Purvodaya’, a plan for the development of the eastern region.
The state has a rich and wide variety of natural resources, impressive road, rail and port infrastructure, decent air connectivity including direct flights to important business destinations like Dubai and Singapore, a skilled workforce, a peaceful social fabric, a stable government and above all industry-friendly policies, he said.
Majhi said his visits to business hubs like Delhi and Mumbai as well as Singapore to explore opportunities, are bearing fruits today as industries have reposed to come and invest in Odisha.
“Just a week ago, we had the privilege to welcome the President of Singapore and signed eight transformative MoUs with the leading Singaporean entities,” he said.
Majhi said his government’s focus is on the development of world-class industrial infrastructure by setting up plug-and-play industrial parks including a new FDI Park in the state along with sectoral parks for technical textiles, food processing, aluminium and MSME Parks across all the 30 districts.
He said that the state government has ensured that the benefits of industrialisation reach remote areas. Regions like Malkangiri, Rayagada and Keonjhar, historically under-served, are now emerging as focal points for sectors such as food processing, textiles, and renewable energy.
“We urge you all to take advantage of this unlimited opportunity on the offer,” he said.
Along with mining and metallurgy sectors, the state would also like to have industries interest and investment in the fields of chemicals and petrochemicals, green hydrogen, IT services, textiles, pharmaceuticals and metal downstream industries, all aligned with global growth trends, the CM said.
Majhi said the state has also been taking steps to ensure continuous supply of skilled workforce, by starting the “Skilled in Odisha” initiative.
“We are equipping our youth with new-age skills for emerging industries like semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, and IT-ITeS so that industry-ready trained manpower are ready to enter into the labour market,” he said.
“Come, invest in Odisha, because this is the right time and be a part of the state’s growth story”, Majhi said, lauding PM Modi’s support for the state’s growth.
In the sideline of the meeting, Majhi said that the state is expecting three times more investment intents from the participants of the conclave than Odisha’s target of securing Rs 5 lakh crore worth of projects.
“There is a wave of investors at the Conclave here,” the chief minister said.
PTI
