BHUBANESWAR:The Opposition came down heavily on the Odisha Government as the State slipped six places down in overall ranking of the National Council of Applied Economic Research’s (NCAER) state investment potential index for 2018 even as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik plans to lead a high level delegation to Mumbai on August 8 to woo investors.
As the Government readies for a publicity campaign on its achievements across the State, the NCAER report has come as a dampener. Targeting the Government, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik said the Taiwanese company which had come with a proposal to invest Rs 43,000 crore in the State will back out, if it comes to know how South Korean steel giant Posco was forced to withdraw its project.
Giving example of the unrest in IMFA plant, Patnaik alleged that the State Government does not hesitate to create problems in industrial units for the political gains of the ruling party. In the last year’s NCAER rankings, Odisha was placed at 11 ahead of many other states including West Bengal, Punjab and Rajasthan.
Oppn flays Govt for slip in investment index
However, when states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have moved up the rankings, Odisha has been placed above Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand and Bihar.
Besides slipping in overall ranking, Odisha’s place has also come down in labour and infrastructure. While in labour sector, the State is placed three places down, infrastructure position has worsened with five ranks below. Difficulty in getting land for a project remains high in Odisha with the State climbing down maximum seven positions in the land pillar.
However, the saving grace has been improvement in the economic climate with the State jumping up the ladder by four places when other developed states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu slipped.Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday reviewed preparations for the Make in Odisha conclave to be held in Bhubaneswar from November 11 to 15. Expressing happiness over various departments’ initiatives to organise sector specific seminars to showcase the business eco-system, the Chief Minister asked them to plan and benchmark event to global standards.
Naveen said Odisha is fast becoming one of the most preferred investment destinations in the country and the thrust is to bring more diversified industries to provide higher employment opportunities to people. Policies on bio-technology, electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM), food processing, healthcare investment, textiles, tourism and women empowerment have also been bench marked for the event.
