Odisha Attracted Investments Of Over Rs 1 Lakh Crore During Covid-19 Pandemic: CM Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Odisha has attracted new investments of over Rs 1 lakh crore across multiple sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, informed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.

Addressing the 93rd Annual general meeting of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) on virtual platform, the CM said, “Not only new investments, but Odisha is also focussed on grounding the projects. In the recent past, new industrial projects were launched in diverse sectors ranging from healthcare, renewable energy, downstream to steel & aluminium, IT and food processing.”

Stating that Odisha was ranked number one in terms of attracting investments during April-September 2019, Patnaik expressed happiness over the encouraging investor sentiment towards the State.

Highlighting Odisha’s industrial ecosystem and growth in the last two decades, Patnaik said that the State is set to achieve its cherished goal of becoming a world-class industrial destination. He sought the continuous cooperation of FICCI in realising this goal.

The CM also requested the FICCI to nominate dedicated sectoral teams to work with respective departments in the Odisha especially in important sectors such as food processing, chemical, tourism and IT.

Proclaiming that Odisha is fast emerging as the ‘Manufacturing Hub of Eastern India’, he said that his Government has always endeavoured for a holistic business environment for the investors in Odisha.

Emphasising the effective governance mechanism of the state, he said that Odisha is implementing path breaking technological reforms to reduce physical interface for availing Government services. The transformational initiatives under ‘5T’ charter and ‘MO SARKAR’ have played a major role in creating a conducive business environment in the State by inculcating professionalism and behavioural change in the State Government agencies, he added.

He informed that the State Government has developed end-to-end online systems for over 30 Government to Business services to reduce regulatory burden on industries. Timelines for the services have also been included under the State’s Right to Public Services Act for prompt service delivery, he added. The State has also developed a dedicated land bank with over one lakh acres of land available on a GIS-based platform for easy site selection by industries, he further added.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)