With investors making a beeline to Orissa to set up metals and infrastructure projects in the field of steel, aluminium, power and port, the per capita investment figures have soared in the state over last five years. It reached Rs 78,569 by the end of December, 2007, almost three times of national average of Rs 22,669.
The state also accounts for 10 percent of the total envisaged projects and total projects under implementation in the country by June 2008, the chief minister Naveen Patnaik said.
Quoting from the recent report of the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE), Patnaik said, Orissa is among the top two states in terms of value of the total envisaged projects and projects under implementation.
“This is indicative of the success of Orissa’s strategy in creating a business environment, which is conducive to investment and has significantly changed the perception of Orissa in the world”, the chief minister said, in his response to the felicitation given by the Co-ordination Committee of Industries Associations of Orissa.
He said, Orissa is rated as the top most investment destination in the country and is passing through a new wave of industrialisation. To carry forward the process, the state government has taken a series of policy measures like formulation of the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR), 2007 and brought out the micro-small and medium enterprise (MSME) development policy, 2009 to meet the specific needs of MSMEs in the state.
Patnaik said, the process of industrialisation must be steered in a manner to create maximum employment opportunities. “Our government has made it mandatory for the industries signing the memorandum of understanding (MoUs) to ensure optimum level of local employment. Large industrial houses and the banks operating in the state are being encouraged to set up technical and professional institutions in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode”, he added.
To meet the infrastructure needs of the small scale industries, the state government is in the process of setting up dedicated industrial parks like food park at Khurda, auto park at Choudwar and growth centres at Jharsuguda, Balasore and Rayagada. While theme specific industrial parks are being set up for promotion of ancillary and downstream industries, industrial corridors will be developed between Choudwar and Rourkela and Chandikhol and Paradeep, Patnaik added. Making a presentation about the success of the state government in the industrial front in last 5 years, Hemanta Sharma, director (industries), Orissa government said, 3 lakh additional jobs are being created in the industrial sector of the state.
The number as well as the quantum of investment in both the large, small and medium enterprise segment has increased substantially between 2004 and 2009. While the number of large units increased to 231 from 142 during the period, the investment in this sector went up from Rs 41,306 crore to Rs 94,902 crore. Similarly, the number of MSME units increased from 78,564 in 2004 to 99,650 in 2009.
The state government has signed MoU with 80 companies for setting up of their units in the state at a combined investment of Rs 3.47 crore. Out of it, 29 units have started partial production. The state finance minister ,Prafulla Chandra Ghadai, energy minister S N Patro, industry minister Biswa Bhushan Harichandan, chairman of the Co-ordination Committee of Industries Associations, Sarat Sahoo spoke on the occasion.
