Italy delegation evinces interest in State

BHUBANESWAR: The rapid expansion of aluminium sector in the State, especially the upcoming Angul aluminium park, has attracted the attention of visiting delegation from Italy which has evinced interest in investment and collaboration with Odisha.At the Indo-Italian Metal Hub seminar organised by Aluminium Association of India (AAI) here on Saturday, Italian Consul General in India Damiano Francovigh stressed on improvement of bilateral relations between India and Italy.

"Strengthening economic cooperation between India and Eastern India will go a long way in improving relations between the two countries," opined Francovigh, who had visited the proposed aluminium park at Angul on Friday. Speaking on the occasion, Industries Minister Niranjan Pujari said Odisha offers a perfect ecosystem to be the hub of aluminium sector and the Government is committed to forge strong economic ties with Italy. 

The molten aluminium can be directly obtained from Nalco when Angul aluminium park becomes operational, he said.The aluminium cluster is being jointly developed by Nalco and Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) on 240 acres of land.

Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra pitched for the aluminium park and said the future looks bright for investors who plan to invest in the sector here. "The potential for collaboration is immense and the park will become a major centre in the world for aluminium downstream activities," he hoped. 
The Indo-Italian Metal HUB tour is a programme aimed at engaging decision makers in the industrial sector in India, Italy and Europe.