Bhubaneswar: Odisha continues to be a top investment destination even during the pandemic period, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.
Odisha, over last few years, has taken massive strides in business and industry, he said.
Addressing the ‘BUSINESS EMINENCE AWARDS’ function organized by Dharitri and Orissa POST, the Chief Minister said, “An enabling industrial policy supported by a dedicated Team Odisha has brought about massive progress in the industrial eco-system of the state. We continue to be a top investment destination even during the pandemic period. Our record in grounding of investments is also quite encouraging. Recent data on various business parameters also indicate a revival in economy”.
The year 2020 has greatly changed the way we have lived and has made a huge impact on our outlook on things we had taken for granted. Repeated lockdowns and Covid related protocols to contain the Covid 19 virus being the priority, the economic impacts have not gone unnoticed. During such an unprecedented and difficult time, the State government has taken multi-pronged approach to help encourage enterprises, Naveen said.
He also reiterated that his government is committed to lending a helping hand and encourage entrepreneurs to get back on their feet.
“After agriculture MSMEs are the largest job intensive sector.So we have proposed an enhanced allocation of rupees 465 crore, which is almost double the allocation of last year. Besides recently I had announced a special covid package of Rs 289 crore to support MSMEs and also focussing on better credit linkage for them . Our toursim budget has been doubled in the last two years focusing on infrastructure and tourist amenities. In some of our iconic locations we are in the process of creating world class facilities”, he added.