‘Odisha to be most imp destination for startups’

The World Trade Center (WTC) Bhubaneswar celebrated the World Trade Day on Saturday with its members joining together for the annual meeting to celebrate the last year’s achievements and to chart a productive path for the next year.

Chief guest MSME Minister Prafulla Samal highlighted the initiatives by the State Government in simplifying business and getting national recognition in skills development. He said Odisha is greatly poised to be the most important destination for startups.

MSME Secretary LN Gupta said, “We are confident to achieve the target of 1 lakh-crore export.”

Commissioner of Central Excise, Customs and Service Tax, Bhubaneswar Sanjeev G Dewalwar spoke about the GST interventions and the need for simplified tax procedures in the expansion of trade.

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata head Prof K Rangarajan focused on the utility of trade in economic development and peace-building. He also highlighted the inter-relationship of trade with poverty eradication.

Earlier, WTC, Bhubaneswar Director Rupa Naik had welcomed the guests. “Through the World Trade Day, we are aiming to reach out to trade and industry of Odisha in order to make them aware of the importance and relevance of international trade in building a strong economy of the State,” she said.

On the occasion, the WTC announced the launching of sectoral think tanks to facilitate academic, policy and industry discussions in identified areas for better awareness and effective policymaking.

The programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by WTC Assistant Director Nimeshika Natarajan.