Indian envoys of 4 nations to attend capital business meet

BHUBANESWAR: Indian ambassadors to four countries - United Arab Emirates (UAE), Switzerland, Spain and Guatemala - will visit the city on October 18 to attend a business summit organised by the state government.
The state government will showcase the investment potential, investor-friendly policies and reforms in ease of doing business at the summit which will be attended by chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
"After visiting the state, the ambassadors will reach out to the business community in their respective countries and invite potential investors to Odisha," industries secretary Hemant Sharma told TOI.
As Odisha has mutual business interests with these four countries, the state government has been looking for investments in sectors like food processing, petrochemicals, alumina and aluminium, real estate, port based logistics, industrial warehousing, fintech and metal trade exchange, said official sources.
The hosting of the ambassadors of the four countries assumes significance ahead of the third edition of Make in Odisha conclave, the flagship investors' meet scheduled from November 30 to December 4.
Earlier on August 31, the chief minister had reached out to the ambassadors of more than 30 countries in New Delhi to project Odisha as a preferred investment destination.
Also, as part of the outreach exercise ahead of the business conclave, another investment roadshow is planned in Hyderabad on October 17. Naveen will attend the meet and also hold one-to-one meetings with investors there to invite them to the conclave.
The chief minister had earlier attended similar investors meets in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Sharma said they are looking for investors in sectors like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, medical equipment, renewable energy, real estate, food processing and textiles and apparels.
He also said that preparations for Make in Odisha conclave is going on in full swing. Like the previous edition in 2018, this year's event will also be held at Janata Maidan in the city.
The state government has finalised the layout design and engaged an agency for the setup.
Meanwhile, the state government has started extending invitation to the investors to attend the conclave. Sources said that invitations have been sent so far to 80 leading players in sectors like metal and metallurgical, information technology, food processing, consumer durables, auto components, health, textiles and renewable energy. Invitations to sector-wise speakers is being sent in a phased manner which is being coordinated by state's industry partner Ficci.
Sharma said efforts are being made to get new investors to the state through the conclave.