By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, October 11, 2018: Odisha attracted manufacturing investments from an array of sectors. Investments were valued at Rs 35861 crore for 186 projects in July-September quarter of FY19, according to 72 72nd Survey of Project Investment in India, conducted by a magazine.

This augurs well for the state which is all set to host the second edition of ‘Make in Odisha’, its showpiece investment conclave next month.

The state has topped in terms of fresh projects expenditure and contributed about 12 per cent to the total virgin projects announced in July – September period (Q2) of this fiscal, according to the Survey.

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka stood second and third, attracting Rs 31104 crore and Rs 24624 crore of investments, respectively during the period under review.

Incidentally, the state government has taken several initiatives to enhance its investment climate such as institutionalization of the state level facilitation cell, appointment of sector-specific nodal officers to handhold investors, identification of six sectors, regular domestic and international investor outreach through roadshows. The steps are in addition to a focused approach to facilitating investments through technology-enabled interventions like GO-SWIFT.

Interestingly, the average time taken for approval of the projects has come down to 20 days from the date of receipt of completed project application.