Odisha CM inaugurates string of projects worth over Rs 2,100 crore

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Tuesday inaugurated four industrial units and laid the foundation of 14 more plants, giving a major boost to the state's economy, an official said. The projects, worth Rs 2196.30 crore, will create jobs for around 3,500 people, he said.

The CM, who launched the units over a video conference, said, "Odisha will become the manufacturing hub of the East by 2025. We have devised an action plan to bring more investments to the state and provide employment opportunities to people," Patnaik said on the occasion. The state government is working hard to ensure that "intents get converted into actual investments", Patnaik said, adding that GO-SWIFT, a single window portal, has received 600 industrial project applications in 14 months.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Secretary A P Padhi said that a dedicated mechanism of 'industry care' has been launched recently to facilitate and provide "aftercare services" to the industrial units set up in the state. The e-Suvidha portal, which was till recently handling grievances of industrial units with an investment of more than Rs 50 crore, will now extend it services to the MSMEs, he stated.

Prominent among the projects inaugurated Tuesday was a cement plant at Kalinganagar industrial complex in Jajpur, with an investment of Rs 401 crore, another official said. The plant, with 1.50 mtpa cement grinding unit, has the potential to create 258 jobs, he said.

Odisha's investor-friendly policies have received positive feedback from investors across the country, the official said, adding that the Patnaik government has been able to create an ideal ecosystem for business to flourish in the state.

(With inputs from agencies.)