Bhubaneswar : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated Make-in-Odisha-Utkarsh Odisha conclave, the biennial investment summit of the state, with an assurance to industrialists that state’s industrialization process would accelerate further with a double-engine ( BJP both in state and at the Centre) government in charge. He praised the efforts of Mohan Charan Majhi-led maiden BJP government in the state for its efforts to take the state forward.
“I want to make eastern India is the growth engine of the country. Odisha plays a key role in this”, said Modi while addressing industry leaders at the Janata Maidan here. He described Odisha as the perfect combination of heritage and development. The Prime Minister said that this was the biggest business summit in Odisha till date with participation of investors in the meet this time being five to six times more than in the conclaves held in the past. The state government is expecting investments worth Rs.5 lakh crore from the summit.
Modi called upon all the investors gathered at the venue to invest in Odisha. ” Now is the right time to invest,” he said, adding that investors should become part of the state’s growth journey. Modi said Odisha was a priority for him which was evident from the fact that he had visited the state nearly 30 times since becoming Prime Minister of the country for the first time in 2014. In his latest term as Prime Minister he has visited the state five times. The Prime Minister also recalled the Bali Yatra, the voyage to Bali and other islands in Indonesia, which is celebrated even today in Odisha.
Modi recalled how the Konark Wheel was displayed during the G20 summit. “Today, India’s focus is ‘wait in India’ and ‘heal in India’. For this, Odisha’s nature and scenic beauty are helpful. There is a lot of potential for conference tourism in the country. In Bhubaneswar, there are a lot of good convention centres. There is a lot of potential for the growth of the concert economy as well. In the last 10 years, the demand for live concerts has gone up,” he said.
“India is on a path of development driven by the aspirations of crores of people”, remarked Modi and emphasized that AI stands for both Artificial Intelligence and Aspiration of India, which is the country’s strength. The Prime Minister asked the business tycoons of the country to work in the direction of self-reliance and resilience against global economic disruptions. “Our raw materials are exported and then get processed somewhere with value addition there. A new product is made there and returned to our country. I cannot accept it. This ecosystem needs to change,” said the Prime Minister.
“The government cannot do this thing alone. The industrial houses should come forward for this,” he said adding that his government’s focus was on establishing captive plants that can make finished products using the country’s minerals. The business tycoons attending the summit included Anil Agarwal and Kumar Manglam Birla. Agarwal announced Rs 1akh crore investment in the state. Tata group said Odisha has emerged as Tata Steel’s single largest investment destination in the country. Chief minister Mohan Majhi also urged investors to put their money in Odisha as the state was ready to make a big leap into the future.
