By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 2, 2015 :

Odisha’s geopolitical advantage, its vast natural, mineral resources and long coast line has put the state into an enviable position to emerge as the leading natural logistic hub in the country, according to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the ‘UCCI Expo-2015’ here on Sunday, Pradhan made a comparison of Odisha with other coastal states to justify his statement.

“With West Bengal not having enough potential for port development, the neighbouring states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhatisgarh and the entire North-East block will depend upon Odisha’s port facility, said Pradhan. While reminding the political friction going on between Andhra Pradesh and Telengana, Odisha stands to gain most for all logistic purposes”, the union minister remarked.

Pradhan also allayed apprehension about location of one of the five ultra mega power plants in the state announced in the budget speech by finance minister Arun Jaitley, the minister asserted that no one can ignore coal rich Odisha. “When such plants are going to be set up at coal pit heads, how can Odisha be ignored?, he quipped.
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Reminiscing Odisha’s rich maritime trade heritage, Pradhan exhorted the Odisha youth to be a part of the growing industrial development regime using their entrepreneurial skill than scurrying for jobs only.

The Development Commissioner of Odisha, UN Behera while speaking on the occasion underscored the poor credit absorption capacity of Odisha entrepreneurs. Even as the Banks and other financial institutions have failed to register growth in credit as much as in deposit segment, entrepreneurs from the State have shown dismal performance in availing loans, utilizing that effectively and repaying to the creditor in time.

Earlier, President of Utakal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) Ramesh Mohapatra in his welcome address elucidated various steps the trade body has undertaken to both encourage new entrepreneurs and at the same time help policy making system in the State for creation of a congenial atmosphere for industrial development here.

UCCI Expo-2015, the mega exhibition organized by UCCI in association with the MSME Department of Odisha government got underway today at the IDCO Exhibition Ground here. CMD Idco Vishal Dev, CMD Nalco Ansuman Das, Vice President KPO Tata Steel Rajiv Kumar and Secretary UCCI Debabrata Das also spoke during the inaugural session of the Expo which will continue till March 5.