By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, February 22, 2018: In a bid to attract investment to the state, Odisha government on Thursday organized an investment promotion roadshow in Ahmedabad to showcase the inherent advantages of investing in Odisha.

In the run up to the weeklong Make in Odisha Conclave 2018 to be held from November 11, the state government has been organizing road shows across the country and abroad. The state will organise such roadshows in Germany, US, China, Japan and South Korea later this year along with several Indian cities including Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Vizag and Coimbatore, ahead of the biennial ‘Make in Odisha’ conclave.

The roadshow witnessed encouraging response with over 100 leading Gujarat-based industrialists meeting the delegation and exploring attractive growth opportunities in Odisha’s focus sectors, officials said.

Participating in a panel discussion on competitive advantages of Odisha as an investment destination, leader of the delegation from Odisha and finance minister, Shashi Bhusan Behera said, “Owing to the proactive and progressive governance under the leadership of our Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Odisha is fast emerging as the manufacturing hub of Eastern India. With the objective of attracting 2.5 lakh crore of fresh investments and generating 30 lakh job opportunities as part of CM Naveen Patnaik’s Vision – 2025, the Government of Odisha is working tirelessly towards diversifying and broadening the state’s industrial development across the focus sectors. We invite Gujarati industrialists and entrepreneurs to explore growth opportunities in Odisha and invest in the state.”

The panel discussion was moderated by former IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, Maheswar Sahu. The state principal secretary, industries, Sanjeev Chopra along with representatives from Adani Group, Welspun Group and Manpasand Beverages Ltd took part in the discussion.

The panelists apprised potential investor about the recently launched single window clearance portal for investors called GOSWIFT, the low cost of doing business in the state, dedicated sector-specific clusters and 1,00,000 acres of land bank available for industrial development. The delegation also formally invited Gujarat-based industrialists to participate in Make in Odisha 2018, the flagship biennial investors’ summit of Odisha.

“We are pleased to receive such warm welcome from the vibrant business community of Gujarat. Odisha’s business friendly policies and the development of world-class infrastructure have received very positive feedback from investors across the country as we have been able to create an ideal business ecosystem for various sectors to flourish in the state. Over the last 3 years, the State Government has embarked upon the implementation of a Business Reforms Program to make it easier for companies to set up and operate in the state following which Odisha has been recognized as a ‘Leader’ in terms of implementation of business reforms with 92.73% score in the Ease of Doing Business Report of 2016,” Chopra said.

The state government has set a target of generating employment for 30 lakh citizens by attracting investments worth Rs. 2.5 lakh crore in focus sectors. Notably, of the 124 investment intents received during the investors’ meets organized last year at Mumbai, Bengaluru and in the Make in Odisha Conclave 2016, the state government received and approved firm proposals for 76 projects worth Rs. 2.02 lakh crore.