BHUBANESWAR: The state government has eyed participation of more foreign companies in the second
Make in Odisha conclave as chief minister
Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced Japan as the ‘country partner’ for the November biennial investors’ meet.
The announcement came days before a state government delegation led by industries minister Ananta Das would visit Tokyo later this month to showcase state’s investment potential.
The delegation would attract investment in focus sectors--food processing and seafood, chemicals, plastics and petrochemicals, ancillary and downstream industries in the metals sector, electronics manufacturing, textiles and apparel and tourism. The delegation would also visit China and South Korea to engage with the investors there.
“The partnership will provide a new impetus to the relations between Odisha and Japan and open up varied sectors for collaboration. We also appreciate SBI coming onboard as the banking partner for the event,” Naveen announced while attending groundbreaking ceremony of a bunch of industrial projects worth Rs 2901 crore.
These units, ranging from plastics and cements, would generate employment opportunities for around 3000 youths.
The partnership between Japan and Odisha will be in diverse sectors including industry, tourism, culture, sports and heritage. Odisha will be the priority investment destination for the Japanese investors in India, according to the partnership.
A Japanese business delegation would also attend the investors’ meet scheduled from November 11 to 15 here.
“We would like a deeper engagement with Japan. Japanese investors such as Nissin and Krosaki have been operating in Odisha successfully for many years. We have also identified 600 acres of land near Bhubaneswar which can be developed as a multi-product dedicated industrial park for Japanese companies,” said industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra.
TRL Krosaki, a subsidiary of Krosaki Harima Corporation operates its refractory supplies plant at Belpahar in Jharsuguda district while Indo-Nissin Foods, a unit of Nissin Foods and Mitsubishi Corporation produces instant noodles at its facility near Khordha.
The SBI as the ‘banking partner’ will introduce services to cater to the financial needs of large corporates, micro small and medium enterprise units and self-help groups, who are the main drivers of job creation in Odisha.
To attract foreign investors in the focus sectors, Odisha government had also organized investment roadshows in Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia in July this year and claimed to have received tremendous response.
A Chinese delegation from Fujian province also met chief minister Naveen Patnaik on August 13 to explore investment opportunities in Odisha. The state government has also assured all support to Taiwan’s state-owned petroleum firm CPC Corporation Limited which has found Paradip as a potential investment destination for a petrochemical unit worth Rs 43,000 crore.
Among the major investment proposals, Naveen laid the foundation stone for the third integrated cement plant of OCL India Ltd, a unit of Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd at Rajgangpur in Sundargarh, which will have an investment potential of around Rs 2000 crore.
The chief minister on the occasion said Odisha is fast emerging as the ‘Manufacturing Hub of Eastern India’. “My government has promulgated progressive policies and developed state-of-the-art infrastructure besides demonstrating commitment to deliver projects on ground, which is reflected in the fact that out of the investment intents received, close to 65 per cent projects are in various stages of approval and implementation,” said Naveen.
After Mumbai, chief minister Naveen Patnaik would attend an investment roadshow in New Delhi on September 12.
The chief minister on the occasion said Odisha is fast emerging as the ‘Manufacturing Hub of Eastern India’.
