'Make In Odisha Conclave' kicks off in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Odisha government's flagship biennial business event 'Make In Odisha Conclave' 2018 was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar today.

The event which will continue till November 15 aims at bringing more investments to the State.

On the first day of the 5-day conclave, CM Naveen asked industry captains to explore the immense opportunities that the state has to offer as it takes rapid strides to emerge as the manufacturing hub of the east.

The conclave was inaugurated in the presence of a host of dignitaries including Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu and consul generals of several other countries, besides representatives from industry body FICCI.

"Odisha is emerging as a manufacturing hub of the east and we are incessantly working towards developing it as a global hub for industries in certain focus sectors," Patnaik said while urging the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) to partner with the departments in successful implementation of the state's 'Vision 2025' for industrial development in six focus sectors.

The plennary session of the second edition of Make In Odisha Conclave, scheduled to be held from Monday, would be attended by a battery of top industrialists including Mukesh Ambani, N Chandrasekaran, Kumar Mangalam Birla along with 800 other industry leaders.

Apart from Reliance Industries, Aditya Birla Group and Tata Group, Vedanta Resources chief Anil Agarwal and industry delegation from at least six countries -- South Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- are expected to attend the state's mega business meet here.

Chairman of Mahindra Group Anand Mahindra, chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd Naveen Jindal and Adani Group chief Goutam Adani are also expected to be part of the conclave which will conclude on November 15.

"Mukesh Ambani will be the star speaker at the Business Leadership Summit to be organised just after plenary session of the conclave. The summit will provide leadership perspective from industry captains to inspire next generation leaders," Odisha Industries Minister Ananta Das had said earlier.

In the run up to the mega event, Patnaik had met ambassadors of different countries in New Delhi.

While Japan is the partner country of the conclave this year, the expo will be showcasing manufacturing prowess of the state through use of modern technologies by the companies operating here.

Apart from seeking investment from the industries, the prime objective of the conclave is to showcase the potential of the state in different sectors, said industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra.

The first edition of the conclave was held in 2016 where the state had received investment proposals worth Rs 2 lakh crore, he claimed.

(With PTI inputs)