Odisha approves investments worth over Rs 2,000 crore

The Odisha government approved investments worth over Rs 2,000 crore that can provide employment to more than 3,500 people, as per an official statement issued on Monday.

At a meeting of the single-window clearance authority, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said the industries should employ youths ''skilled in Odisha''.

The approved projects are employment-intensive and from sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and food processing and manufacturing, Principal Industry Secretary Hemant Sharma said.

Mohapatra gave in-principle approval to 12 projects worth Rs 2,071 crore and emphasised on expediting the construction.

He directed the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha to make a realistic assessment of the land and water requirements on the basis of the benchmark set against different types of industries.

The proposals that got approval include an iron-ore beneficiation and pellet-making plant by Shree Metaliks in Keonjhar district with an investment of Rs 650 crore, the statement said.

The authority also gave a go-ahead to a Rs 251-crore grain-based ethanol and power plant in Cuttack district by JK Biotech.

It also sanctioned a proposal of a five-star hotel in Khurda district, and a logistics park with cold chain, food court and retail facility, and an entertainment centre in Puri district.

With the latest approvals, the chief secretary has cleared a total of 40 projects worth Rs 5,841 crore in the last four months that can provide employment to 20,380 people, the statement added.