Odisha Holds Investors’ Meet and Curtain Raiser for Make in Odisha Conclave’22 in New Delhi

New Delhi: In a continuing effort to be the country’s leading investment destination, the Government of Odisha, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), hosted a Curtain raiser for Make in Odisha conclave and Investors’ Meet in New Delhi.

Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, Pratap Keshari Deb, Minister – Industries, MSME & Energy, Government of Odisha, Hemant Sharma (IAS), Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Skill Development & Technical Education and Chairman-IDCO and Chairman-IPICOL, Government of Odisha, Dr. Omkar Rai, Executive Chairman, Start-up Odisha, Md. Sadique Alam, Director of Industries-Odisha, Arun Chawla Director General, FICCI, and senior officials from the industries department & IPICOL attended the meeting, which was attended by ambassadors from over 30 countries and over 50 delegates, representing various industries from across India.

Addressing the esteemed guests Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik extended his warmest of greetings to the dignitaries and stated “Odisha is one of the fastest growing economies in India and has consistently grown above the national average in the last decade and a half. We are fast emerging as a major industrial destination in eastern India because of our natural resource advantage and strategic location. Over the last 20 years, my government has focused on leveraging these natural advantages through progressive policy, efficient administration, and technological interventions.”

Extending a hearty invitation to the dignitaries attending the meet the Chief Minister said “The Make in Odisha Conclave’22 will be held in Bhubaneswar from 30th November to 4th December 2022. I would request your excellencies to kindly consider being a Partner Country of Odisha during the conclave. As part of the MIO Conclave’22, we are setting up an International Pavilion at the venue. You may kindly consider setting up offices and stalls in the pavilion during the Conclave and conduct G2B and B2B meeting. We will provide all necessary facilitation.”

Suresh Chandra Mahapatra Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha, welcomed the august gathering and initiated the Ambassadors’ meeting by stating that the team from Odisha led by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik is there to apprise everyone present about the state’s flagship investment summit, the Make in Odisha Conclave’22 and invite them to the event.

Mahapatra shed light on how Odisha has been one of the major breakout states in the country in terms of development, registering impressive GSDP growth rates year-after-year and industrializing at break-neck speed. Odisha has had an impressive ride soaring even higher with a strong foundation that has been laid under the leadership of our hon’ble Chief minister.

Speaking about the land of Odisha or Kalinga as it was then known Mahapatra said “Odisha has been famous for trade and commerce. Today, Odisha is the largest producer of steel, stainless steel, and aluminium in India. We are emerging as a leader in sectors like chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles and apparel, IT and ITeS, Food Processing and others. We are also attracting investments in new age sectors like green hydrogen and green ammonia, data centers, EV and EV component manufacturing to name a few.”

Speaking about The Make in Odisha Conclave’22 he stressed that “our flagship investment summit has been conceptualized to not just showcase these vast existing and emerging opportunities in Odisha but also to build a platform for global leaders to discuss the future of business, trade and commerce, skilling and much more.”

Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Skill Development & Technical Education and Chairman-IDCO and Chairman-IPICOL, Government of Odisha, made a presentation about Make in Odisha to the audience in which he highlighted the states over two decades of stable governance, as the fastest growing economy in the country, top choice in the sector of minerals and metallurgy, dominance in metal manufacturing and the commitment of the towards the future.

In his welcome address for the Curtain raiser event of Make in Odisha Conclave’22, Suresh Chandra Mahapatra Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha stated that “The Make in Odisha Conclave (MIO’22) aims to provide a platform for industry leaders from across the world to discuss a roadmap for industrial development in the coming years. A humble beginning was made in 2016, which saw a footfall of 18,500 and received over 120 investment intents valued at over Rs. 2 Lakh Crore. In 2018, we hosted the 2nd edition which raised the bar even higher and received an influx of 45,000 visitors and received investments worth over Rs. 4 Lakh. We need your support and cooperation to ensure that this year’s event is a grand success. The Make in Odisha Conclave’22 is a platform that brings all the stakeholders together.”

In addition to this he also stated that “The Government of Odisha will use the platform to showcase the vast existing and emerging opportunities in the state for the investors. Through the Conclave, we want to build new relationships and strengthen our old relationships with all of you. We want you all to be a partner in Odisha’s growth story.”

Hemant Sharma Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Skill Development & Technical Education and Chairman IPICOL & IDCO Government of Odisha then presented about the Business Ecosystem in Odisha and highlighted the State’s ranking in the EoDB ranking, competitive cost of doing business, impact of investment facilitation, best-in-class incentives and highly skilled human resources, which gives the state a distinct competitive advantage over others.

Addressing the august gathering Pratap Keshari Deb, Minister – Industries, MSME & Energy, Government of Odisha stressed that “Odisha has always been known for its magnificent handloom industry, we are now firmly focusing on technical textile as well. We are setting up a technical textiles park in Bhadrak anchored again by IOCL’s 300 KTPA Polyester and Fiber plant. Similar to the chemicals and petrochemicals sector, and textiles sector, we have also developed robust ecosystems for sectors like Food Processing, IT/ITeS, ESDM etc.

Odisha’s industrial growth in the last two decades has been focused on developing highly skilled work force. With nearly 200 Engineering Colleges and 1000 ITIs, we are creating the most skilled workforce in the country. We have recently established a first of its kind, World Skill Centre (WSC), a premier advanced skill training institute. In order to fully realize the potential of the youth and entrepreneurs in the state, we have started Start-Up Odisha. with the aim to encourage young people to work towards innovation, development and improvement of products, process, and services.”

He invited everyone present on behalf of Government of Odisha to attend the Make in Odisha Conclave’22, see for themselves what Odisha has to offer and be a partner in this transformational journey of Odisha.