Patnaik to meet ambassadors, high commissioners of 16 countries

However, the state has not achieved the desired goal, said state BJP president Samir Mohanty.Odisha Congress president Sarat Patnaik said the government is claiming that it generated jobs for the youths, let them give details how many people are engaged in industries.

Ahead of the Make-In Odisha conclave from November 30 to December 4, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to meet ambassadors and high commissioners of 16 different countries at the national capital on August 31, official sources said.

Patnaik, who will leave on a six-day visit to Delhi, will interact with ambassadors and high commissioners of countries like Japan, South Korea, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, USA and some other counties and woo them to invest in Odisha.

Patnaik's meeting assumes significance as the MIO conclave is being held in the city after a delay of two years due to the COVID pandemic.

The focus of the MIO, 2022 this time would be on metals and metal downstream, chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles and apparel including technical textiles, food processing including seafood processing, Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM), logistics and clean energy.

Officials informed that potential investors would be apprised on the state's potential in all these sectors.

Patnaik is likely to speak on the state's business ecosystem and the ease of doing business reforms implemented by the state government, which has the advantage being the most stable government in the country.

Odisha's MSME Minister PK Deb, Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra, Industries secretary Hemant Sharma and other senior officials will hold one-on-one meetings with investors from the region, the sources said.

Apart from meeting the ambassadors, Patnaik during the visit will also follow up on important pending work with the Centre on other days and is scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Capital Foundation on September 4. He is scheduled to return Odisha on September 6, sources in the CMO said.

Earlier in June on the way back to the state from Italy, Patnaik had attended his first overseas investors' meet in Dubai. He had invited investors from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to invest in Odisha.

Officials said that investment intents worth more than Rs 21,000 crore were received during the event.

However, the opposition BJP and Congress criticized the state government for incurring huge expenditure in the name of investors meet.

"Odisha has spent around Rs 95 crore in 2016 and 2018 MIO conclaves and other events. However, the state has not achieved the desired goal," said state BJP president Samir Mohanty.

Odisha Congress president Sarat Patnaik said the government is claiming that it generated jobs for the youths, let them give details how many people are engaged in industries.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)