BHUBANESWAR: Despite fall in Odisha’s position in the recent ‘ease of doing business’ rank, chief minister Naveen Patnaik has assured unmatched facilitation support from the state government for investment proposals in Odisha.During an investors’ meet in Mumbai on Wednesday, the chief minister invited business tycoons of the country for the second edition of the Make in Odisha conclave scheduled from 11th to 15th November here.Business leaders from over 300 leading companies participated in the investment roadshow to explore attractive growth opportunities across Odisha’s focus sectors.Underlining Odisha’s manufacturing prowess and investment potential in diverse sectors, Naveen said, “Strength of Odisha lies in its vast resource base, long coastline, assured power and water supply, port-driven development, excellent road network and connectivity, a young and skilled workforce and an industry-friendly and result-oriented responsive government.”The chief minister also held one to one discussion with some of the industry captains and invited them for the Make in Odisha conclave.The investors’ meet was organized in the backdrop of a recent Union ministry of commerce and industry survey that placed Odisha at the 14th position in ease of doing business ranking against 11th in 2016.The second Make in Odisha conclave will be organized with the theme of ‘I am Odisha’, which celebrates all the successes of Odisha and its people in creating a vibrant ecosystem for business in the state.“I am Odisha will be a unique platform for the people to share their stories that showcase the ‘Odisha of today’ and present their vision for the ‘Odisha of future” said Naveen.The chief minister also launched the official web portal for the Make in Odisha conclave that features Odisha’s business ecosystem and swift facilitation structure.Describing Odisha as the Eastern Gateway of India, Naveen said of Rs 2 lakh crore of investment intent during the first Make in Odisha conclave, about 65 per cent of the projects are at various stages of approval and implementation.To draw more investment in manufacturing sector, Naveen said Odisha is emerging as the ‘manufacturing hub of eastern India’.Besides the Paradip and Dhamra deep-water ports, Naveen said the state government would set up first riverine port on Mahanadi in Kendrapada and 12 non-major ports along its cost to usher in an unprecedented development in the region.For development of human capital, Naveen said his government’s Skilled in Odisha programme is coming up as a global brand.Focusing on Startup ecosystem , the chief minister said as many as 250 startups have already registered under the Startup Odisha initiative and Odisha poised to be amongst top three Startup hubs of India by 2020.The chief minister also highlighted Odisha’s potential in terms of continuous reforms in public service delivery and Bhubaneswar emerging as top cities in various global ranking.Ramesh Mahapatra, president of the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limited said the state government’s initiative to reach out to investors is praiseworthy. “In view of the recent fall in ranks on various indicators, the state government needs to take care of the field level implementation,” Mohapatra said.

Stay updated with all the Latest Bhubaneswar headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.