Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has approved 5 mega investment proposals worth Rs. 92,713 crore in the metal sector.

According to an official release, this is the single largest investment approval by the HLCA during the period of current Industrial Policies Resolution (IPR-2015). It involves beneficiation to manufacturing of pellets, iron, steel stainless steel, rolled products as well as cement utilising waste products like slag and fly ash from other industries along with employment opportunities for 31,979 people across all skill levels.

This is being seen as an attempt by the government to strengthen its industrial development and investment activities amid the economic slowdown across the globe due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Presiding over the meeting, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik emphasised on the need to accelerate the growth of industries, leading to employment generation in the state.

He said that the state has approved investments worth Rs.1.17 lakh crore since February 2020 with potential employment for 53,000 people.

These industrial projects will create significant employment opportunities for people of Odisha across all skill levels, he added.

THE FIVE PROJECTS

1. Expansion project of M/s. Jindal Steel and Power Limited’s Integrated steel plant in Angul from 6 MTPA to 18.6 MTPA; 36 MTPA Slurry Pipeline and 12.5 MTPA cement plant with an investment of Rs. 76,018 Crore, and potential employment opportunities for over 24,350 persons in two phases.

2. Expansion project of M/s Jindal Stainless Limited’s Stainless Steel capacity from 1.1 MTPA to 3.2 MTPA and Cold Rolling Mill capacity from 0.8 MTPA to 2.4 MTPA with an investment of Rs. 6,840 crores in Kalinganagar, Jajpur, and potential employment opportunities for over 2236 persons.

3. M/s. Essar Minmet Limited’s 14 MTPA Beneficiation & 14 MTPA Pellet Plant and 14 MTPA Slurry pipeline against an investment of Rs. 6650 crores to be set up in Keonjhar and Paradip, with potential employment opportunities for over 1468 persons.

4. Expansion project of M/s Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India Limited’s Beneficiation Plant in Keonjhar from 10.76 MTPA to 16.76 MTPA and Pellet Plant at Paradip from 6 MTPA to 12 MTPA against an investment of Rs. 2000 crores, with potential employment opportunities for over 655 persons.

5. Expansion project of M/s. Shyam Metalics and Energy Limited’s steel plant in Pandloi, Sambalpur from 0.77 MTPA to 2.373 MTPA and rolling mill against an investment of Rs. 1205 crores, with potential employment opportunities for over 3270 persons.

These projects are also spread over western, central and coastal Odisha.

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], October 21 (ANI): The State has all the mechanisms put in place to realise the vision of making Odisha an investment destination of choice, both nationally and globally, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said.
He was addressing the MoU signing ceremony between the Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) and FICCI through video conference.
According to a statement from the Office of the Chief Minister, Odisha, FICCI will be the national partner of the state to support investment promotion activities for the next edition of Make in Odisha.
NB Jawale, MD IPICOL at Bhubaneswar and Deputy General Secretary of FICCI Arun Chawla at Delhi signed the MoU.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Patnaik said that the positive policy framework, robust infrastructure, skilled human resources and result oriented administrative set up will help Odisha realizing this vision.
He added that the Five-T Initiatives have brought about a change in governance and making significant contribution to the overall industrial ecosystem of the state.
With the signing of this MoU, he expressed confidence that the state will take the next leap in terms of industrial growth and development.
Welcoming FICCI as national partner, Patnaik said that the Make in Odisha Conclaves in 2016 and 2018 brought in significant increase in the quantum of new investments resulting in creation of a diversified industrial base in the State, and as an outcome, the state has established itself as one of the premier investment destinations in the country.
Highlighting the state's superior performance as an attractive investment destination despite COVID -19, the Chief Minister said that even during these trying times; Odisha has undertaken various investment promotion activities and leveraged digital technology to reach out to the investor community.
This is evident by the fact that the state has attracted over Rs 24,300 Crore worth of new investments since February 2020, he informed.
He further said that Odisha has implemented a robust single window framework to enable seamless, hassle-free and prompt investment facilitation services.
Wishing the partnership a great success, the chief minister said that the initiatives implemented by various Departments have led to expeditious implementation of industrial projects in the state.
Odisha remains amongst the top destinations in terms of grounding of industrial projects, he declared.
Industries Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra, joining from Bhadrak said that both the previous Make in Odisha were a huge success with combined investment offers over 6 lakh crore.
He added that over 60 per cent of these investment proposals are in various stages of implementation.
Joining from Hyderabad, FICCI president Dr Sangitha Reddy said that Odisha has a special relationship with FICCI.
Highlighting the investment climate of Odisha, she said that Odisha has all the critical building blocks for success of the State. The industries body is honoured to become the national partner and it will leave no stone unturned to make it a great success, she added.
Two videos highlighting the achievements of previous Make in Odisha and the revival of industries during Covid were screened on the occasion.
Industries principal secretary Hemanta Sharma gave the welcome address. Secretary General of FICCI Dillip Chenoy from Delhi offered the vote of thanks.
Among others, Development Commissioner Suresh Mohapatra, APC-cum-ACS RK Sharma, Secretary to Chief Minister (5T) VK Pandian, Monica Nayar Patnaik from FICCI Odisha attended the ceremony. (ANI)

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday launched 12 industrial projects worth a combined investment of over Rs 8,790 crore. He inaugurated two industrial projects with an investment of over Rs 758.6 crore. Besides, he performed ground-breaking ceremony of 10 industrial units with an investment of over Rs 8,038.43 crore.

The projects are expected to generate employment opportunities for at least 7,090 people in the state.

'I am particularly happy to note that our state continues its dominance as a premier investment destination for the investor community - even after the impact of COVID-19 across the world,' Patnaik said.

He said the projects are in broad-based sectors including renewable energy, seafood processing, IT/ITeS and others.

Industries Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra said the department is taking up various proactive initiatives to attract new investments in our focus sectors through various webinars with the global investor community.

'Even during the COVID pandemic period, we have been able to attract new investments across multiple sectors and working towards grounding of those,' he added.

The Chief Minister inaugurated Ramco Cement Limited's cement grinding plant at Haridaspur in Jajpur and Aditya Birla Renewables Limited's solar power plant at Bijepur in Bargarh at a capacity of 25 KW.

The projects for which ground-breaking ceremony was performed are Rungta Mines Limited's expansion of its Integrated Steel Plant in Dhenkanal, Shyam Metalics and Energy limited's new unit for expansion of its Pellet plant in Sambalpur and UBN Software solution's software development centre at SEZ Infovalley, Khorda.

Besides, ground-breaking ceremony was also performed for B-One Business House Pvt. Limited's new Sea Food Processing unit, Swosti Ecowares Limited's Bio-degradable table wares disposal manufacturing unit, Baidyabooti Pharmacy's Ayurvedic products and cosmetics manufacturing unit and Mehan Industries Limited's coir mattress and foam manufacturing unit.

The Chief Minister also performed ground-breaking ceremony of Diversified Energy Solution Limited's non-autoclave, lightweight cellular concrete bricks and slabs unit, Swagath Urethane Pvt. Limited's Polyurethane Elastomer manufacturing unit, Omm Eco Build Tech's autoclaved aerated concrete blocks manufacturing unit.

New Delhi: Inclusion of Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC) under the National Industrial Corridor Development Program has been approved by the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT).

The Board of Trustees has agreed for initiation of the project development activities for the priority clusters identified for implementation under Phase-1 in the two nodes based on focused sectors identified by the State Government.

OEC will be a part of the northernmost stretch of the East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC), the first coastal economic corridor planned in the country. The corridor has a potential to generate over INR 4 lakh Crore of manufacturing output, INR 81 Thousand crore of investment and an additional 8 Lakh direct jobs by 2025.

Two nodes have been prioritized in the influence region of the transport network (NH-16) through assessment of factors including land availability, highways, large cities, existing industrial infrastructure and port. 100 km on each side of NH-16 has been taken as the Corridor Influence Area.

Node-1 called the GBK node includes 6 clusters with 6,153 acres land area in Gopalpur, Bhubaneswar, Kalinganagar industrial areas of the Ganjam, Khurda, Cuttack and Jajpur districts.

Node-2 called the PKDS node includes 8 clusters with 10,558 acres of land area in the Paradip, Kendrapada, Dhamra and Subarnarekha industrial areas of the Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Bhadrak and Balasore districts.

Bhubaneswar: Japanese food processing giant Indo Nissin Foods is in the process of setting up its second unit in Odisha’s Khordha, which will be their largest unit in India, said an official on Wednesday.

Indo Nissin Foods with its brands such as Top Ramen has been operating out of Khordha Food Park for the last 30 years.

It is in the process of setting up its second unit in the same vicinity, which will be their largest unit in India.

“The decision of investing in Odisha was the best investment decision we have taken in our 30 year history,” said Gautama Sharma, managing director of Indo Nissin Food.

He was participating in the webinar on Food Processing Opportunities in Indian States, Organised by Invest India, the national investment promotion and facilitation agency.

“We have one of the best manufacturing efficiencies at Odisha which is a benchmark for us. With the expansion of our facilities at Khordha, we will have our largest facility in the country at Odisha,” Sharma added.

The noodle maker has so far invested $20 million in its manufacturing units in Odisha and will continue to do so, he added.

For investors wishing to invest in food processing business, Odisha offers a unique investment opportunity as it is bestowed with varied agro-climatic zones and offers ready-to-move infrastructure setup.

Food processing offers opportunities for employment directly and indirectly. Sourcing the locally produced fruits and other ingredients will benefit rural and especially tribal women of the state, suggested MSME Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra.

Seeking Japanese investment

in the state, the Odisha government on Wednesday said it has already created a dedicated Japanese manufacturing cluster at a place close to the state capital here.

This was revealed by Industries minister D S Mishra while participating in the India-Japan investment forum virtual conference organised by Indian Chambers of Commerce (ICC).

To attract investors from Japan, the state government offered 3.53 square kilometre industry ready land near Bhubaneswar, the minister said, adding that the particular land parcel is a plug-and-play industrial land with a dedicated research lab, dormitories for employees, and other facilities required for new industrial projects.

Odishas Industries department also listed out advantages available in the state which included a stable government, state-of-the-art industrial infrastructure, abundant natural resources and strategically placed coastline to attract investment from the worlds third-largest economy.

The minister also outlined the steps taken to streamline the investment process and to create a business- friendly environment.

"To support new industries planning to set up in the state, we have an efficient single window system which hand- holds them throughout the investment grounding process," the minister said.

For investors intending to set up petrochemical units in Odisha, the state has 2,500 acres of industrial ready-to- set up plots near Paradip port, also home to a large crude oil refinery facility of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, said Industries secretary Hemant Sharma.

"With abundant natural resources, surplus availability of power at a cost lesser than many other industrialised states of India and a strategically located coastline, within reach of the ASEAN markets Odisha could be the most promising investment destination for countries like Japan," Sharma said while wooing investors from Japan and other Asian countries.

In a separate event, the Industries minister said that the state has made satisfactory progress in setting up of different industrial parks in different places of Odisha.

These industrial parks include a Plastic Park at Paradip, an Aluminium Park in Angul, Marine Food Processing Park at Deras near Bhubaneswar, Electronics Park in Bhubaneswar, PCPIR in Paradip and Ispat Cluster at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur.

Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik asked JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal to start work on its proposed 13.2 MTPA integrated steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district. He emphasised on maximum value addition that will fuel job creation and revenue generation for the state exchequer during a video conference with Jindal on Monday.
The high-level clearance authority led by the chief minister approved the proposed JSW steel plant at an investment of over Rs 50,000 crore in 2017. “The JSW is committed to all its projects in the state. We are getting complete support from the entire state machinery. The movement of materials has already started and we are going to start work soon,” said Jindal.
He said JSW is tying up with IIM, Sambalpur, to create JSW Centre for Development Studies for Odisha. The company has plans to invest over Rs one lakh crore in Odisha in the next 10 years, Jindal added.
JSW Steel will also establish a 100-bed hospital and a school at Koida in Sundargarh district in PPP mode to develop mining areas for the benefits of the local people. With the full support of the state government, this development project will be established soon.
Naveen earlier spoke to ArcelorMittal chairman L N Mittal regarding his investment proposals and is planning to speak to other industry leaders to attract investment to Odisha.

“The state government has allocated land, water and power for the project. It is being fast paced to begin at the earliest,” a government statement said. Beginning of the JSW project work will be a significant milestone for Odisha as Posco had to abandon its proposed project.

New Delhi: The Indian Oil board has given its go-ahead for the implementation of an Integrated Para-Xylene (PX) and Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) complex project at Paradip, Odisha, at an estimated investment of Rs 13,805 crore at the board meeting held on Friday. The PX-PTA complex shall be integrated with Indian Oil’s Paradip Refinery, which is operational since 2015.

Speaking on the occasion, SM Vaidya, Chairman, Indian Oil, said, “This plant, along with the upcoming MEG (Mono-Ethylene Glycol) plant of 357-KTA (kilo tonnes per annum) capacity at Paradip, would be a ready source of feedstock for Indian Oil’s upcoming 300-KTA textile yarn manufacturing project at Bhadrak in Odisha, and can similarly facilitate other textile and polyester projects in the region. We are sure that these investments, along with investments in other downstream projects, will boost entrepreneurship not only in Odisha but in the entire Eastern India that would contribute to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ vision of our nation.”

PX/PTA project to be completed by early 2024

The PX/PTA project will be completed by early 2024. The petrochemicals complex will have a PX production capacity of 800,000 tonnes per annum, which would be the feedstock for production of PTA. The production capacity of PTA would be 1,200,000 tonnes per annum. PTA is the raw material for the production of polyester along with MEG. Indian Oil’s MEG production facility is already under implementation at Paradip and will become operational towards the end of 2021. 

The availability of both PTA and MEG at Paradip will give a boost to polyester manufacturing facilities in the vicinity. Also, 50,000 tonnes per annum of Toluene will be produced. With the commissioning of both PTA and MEG projects, the Petrochemical Intensity Index of Paradip Refinery will increase to 14.7 from the present level of 4.5. 

What is PTA?

PTA is a major raw material for manufacture of polyester fibre/yarn, PET bottles and polyester film used in packaging applications. PTA and MEG combined are the main feedstocks for polyester manufacture. The Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) of Paradip, Odisha, will have both these feedstocks of world-class quality available under one roof. 

The availability of Toluene, an important chemical used to produce Toluene Di-isocyanate (TDI), Chloro-Toluene, Nitro-Toluene and Cresols, would be an added advantage. Toluene Di-isocyanate is the basic material for the production of flexible polyurethane foams, adhesives, synthetic leathers and coatings, etc. 

The backdrop

Indian Oil has already commissioned a world-class Polypropylene (PP) plant of 680,000 tonnes per year capacity at a cost of Rs. 3,150 crore in Feb 2019. The downstream polymer industry utilises PP to manufacture both commodity products like cement and fertiliser bags, packaging film, household furniture, etc., as well as niche products like containers for food storage, medical applications and so on.

Thus the complete ecosystem of bulk petrochemicals would now be available in the PCPIR, which would catapult Odisha’s petrochemicals industry to global standards, further attracting large investments in the downstream industry and leading to generation of substantial economic benefits and employment opportunities in the region. 

The PX-PTA project is estimated to generate approximately five million man-days of employment over the three-year construction period with direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 2,000 technically skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manpower in the various areas of operations, maintenance of units and logistics for handling the product value chain.

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Friday cleared four investment proposals in metal and metal downstream sector worth Rs 2172.92 crore, which will generate employment opportunities for 1,122 people.
The state-level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) led by chief secretary Asit Tripathy that generally approves individual projects with investment potential up to Rs 1,000 crore cleared these four proposals. The meeting was held through videoconferencing.
The approved proposals include the plan of Rungta Mines Limited (RML) to set up a 34 mtpa beneficiation plant in Sundargarh district with an investment of Rs. 975 crore. The RML has planned to develop the facility in two phases, with employment potential of about 290 people.
Another proposal of RML to set up a 20 MTPA underground slurry pipeline from its proposed beneficiation plant at Bonai/Champua sub-division to its 3 different plant locations also got SLSWCA. The company would invest around Rs 951 crore to set up the slurry pipeline. It would create employment opportunities for 72 people.

The chief secretary-led panel also gave its nod to Shyam Metalics and Energy Limited for capacity expansion of its pellet plant in Sambalpur district from 0.3 MTPA to 1.2 MTPA. The company would invest Rs 76.92 crore for the expansion project and generate 610 jobs.
Similarly, Wellman Steels Gangeya Supply Agency Private Limited also got clearance to set up 1.8 MTPA beneficiation plant and 1.2 MTPA pellet plant in Mayurbhanj district. The company would invest Rs 170 crore while creating employment opportunity for 150 people.
While giving approval to these projects, chief secretary directed the officials to make an assessment regarding requirement of land and water for these projects and to facilitate all helps. Other concerned departments have also been asked to ensure timely and expeditious implementation of these industrial projects.
This is the third major approval of industrial projects by the state government amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Earlier, investment projects worth Rs 9,600 crore were approved by the state government in two phases in March and June.

BHUBANESWAR: The state government has decided to hold sector-wise investors' meets through various web platforms in the run up to the third edition of the Make in Odisha conclave scheduled from November 30 to December 4, 2020, with an aim to attract investments to the state.
Despite the expenditure rationalisation initiatives as part of the austerity measures in view of the pandemic, state industries secretary Hemanta Sharma said the plan for the Make in Odisha conclave was intact, adding that there could be certain changes in the format and content of the event.
"Our priority is to attract investment to the state in diverse sectors. Even during the lockdown, we have cleared investment proposals worth more than Rs 9,000 crore. Hence, we will go ahead and organise the Make in Odisha conclave," a senior government official said, on condition of anonymity.
The state government will decide the format and content of the event depending on the Covid situation at that time. "We have already started organising sector-specific investors meet through videoconferencing as physical meetings are not possible now," the officer added.

State industries minister Dibya Shankar Mishra and senior industry department officials recently attended an investors' meet on the textiles and apparel sector organised by Invest India via videoconferencing. Around 300 manufacturers of the sector participated in the meet, where Mishra highlighted the strategic advantages of the state for the growth of textiles and apparel sector; one of the six focus areas.
Odisha highlighted its advantages like sector-specific industrial clusters and other infrastructure like road, railways and ports and single window investment facilitation system by using technology.
Sources at the industries department said similar sector-wise investors meet have also been planned for the other five sectors - tourism, food, chemicals, plastics and petrochemicals, electronics manufacturing and metal downstream.
This apart, investors outreach programmes are being organised virtually with international business communities to attract foreign investment in the state. The aim is to highlight the industrial climate, facilities and the fast track approval systems with the use of technology available here.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who had recently held a videoconference with ArcelorMittal Group chairman LN Mittal, is likely to reach out to more captains of such industries ahead of the Make in Odisha conclave. The details are yet to be worked out.
The state government had organised similar investment roadshows in Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, where the business communities were requested to invest in Odisha before the second edition of the Make in Odisha conclave in 2018.
In the annual budget for 2020-21 fiscal, the state government has earmarked Rs 70 crore for the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (IPICOL) to organise the third edition of the conclave.

Goa-based company Sociedade De Fomento Industrial Private Limited (Fomento) has evinced keen interest in investing over Rs 1,000 crore in Odisha in a iron ore beneficiation plant and pellet plant.

The Fomento Group, which has bagged the Nadidih iron block in Koira circle of Sundargarh district, will set up a 3.6 MTPA iron ore beneficiation plant and a pellet plant of 3.2 MTPA at Dhamra in Bhadrakh district, sources said.

Both projects will come up with an investment of Rs 1,040 crore, officials said. The Fomento Group requires 440 acres of land for both the plants in different places with employment potential of 700 persons, both direct and indirect, the sources said.

According to sources, the group has decided to commission the project within 24 months from the date of land allotment. According to official sources, Fomento will use low grade fines generated from its own and nearby mines.

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Monday approved five investment proposals worth Rs 609 crore in sectors like metal, food processing, logistics and infrastructure.
The state level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) chaired by chief secretary Asit Tripathy that clears individual projects up to Rs 1,000 crore approved the five projects, which would generate employment opportunities for around 1496 people.
According to official sources, the state government gave go ahead to a proposal of Reliable Sponge Pvt Limited for an iron ore beneficiation plant of 2.5 mtpa and a pellet plant of 2 mtpa in Sundargarh district. The company would invest around Rs 250 crore and generate employment for 250 people.
Another proposal of Growel Feeds Pvt Ltd for a shrimp/prawn feed and fish feed manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs 65.82 crore also got SLSWCA nod. The unit to come up in Balasore district would generate 700 employment opportunities.
Kendrapada district with hardly any industrial footprint also got an investment proposal as the government cleared a proposal of Sravan Shipping Services Pvt Ltd for a logistics park at Jadupur under Mahakalapada Block in Kendrapada. Around Rs 100 crore would be spent for the project that would generate 250 employment opportunities.
Among others, the SLSWCA also cleared two proposals for grain-based distillery plants by Chilika Distilleries Pvt Ltd with an investment of Rs 99.97 crore in Ganjam and SOM Distilleries & Breweries Odisha Pvt Ltd worth Rs 93 crore in Cuttack. The units have employment potential for 296 people.
This is the second set of investment proposals cleared by the state government amid the pandemic in the past four months. Investment proposals worth Rs 9,000 crore were cleared by the state government on April 20.
“At a time the pandemic has severely affected the global economy; such approvals at regular intervals would send a positive message among the investors,” said an industry department official.
While giving nod to the investment projects, the chief secretary directed concerned departments to provide proactive facilitation to the approved units for their early implementation. The Odisha industrial infrastructure development corporation (Idco) has been asked to develop plug and play industrial infrastructure for prospective investors in six priority sectors identified by the state government.

The perspective investors interacted with chief secretary Asit Tripathy and other senior officers of the state under the leadership of Dr Mukesh Aghi, president and CEO of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

Tripathy chaired the interactive session through video conference with the members of USISPF on Tuesday, said a statement.

The investors were from various sectors like energy, agri-business, nutrition, aviation, information technology, metals and renewable energy.

The leading industries which have shown interest in the interaction included ATC, Avaada Energy, Carirn Energy, Cisco, Exxon Mobil, Herbalife, HP, Mars, Microsoft, Oracle and Paypal, the statement said.

Replying to the queries of perspective investors, the chief secretary said, "Many of our industrial estates are now in green zone. As of now, around 60% of the industries are now running by virtue of adopting the COVID preventive measures."

He said the state has followed policy consistency in matters of industrial promotion and now the state is on the verge of rolling out more progressive regulations in matters of land leasing, contract farming, direct farmer-market connect that will open new avenues of investment.

Industries secretary Hemant Sharma said Odisha is a pioneer state in having a stabilised single window clearance system for investment proposals.

The state has been among top-five lead states in ease of doing business, he added.

Electronics and Information Technology secretary Manoj Mishra said, "We have well developed electronic and manufacturing sector just close to the capital city. The state is rich with skilled manpower in electronic and IT."

Odisha plans to recast its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) before it lapses in August, aiming to get investments when the coronavirus outbreak has been brought under control. While the state government had drafted a fresh IPR for 2020, the policy statement needs revision to keep in sync with a changed geopolitical and business environment.

The policy is expected to have tax concessions and employment-linked incentives. The state government has begun negotiations with willing investors in Japan and South Korea. Both Japanese and Korean firms gravitate to states or regions that ..

High on technology innovation, the Odisha government’s portal GO SWIFT, the Single Window Investor Facilitation and Tracking has won the National e-Governance Silver award for the year 2019-20.
The award under the ‘Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformation’ category was announced by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances of the Government of India (e-Governance division).
It was presented during the 23rd National conference on e-governance in Mumbai.
The GO SWIFT portal apart from providing a platform for single window, one-stop solution for approval and clearances for industrial projects, also provides support to the investors in the entire investment lifecycle. It is developed by the Industries Department department of the government of Odisha.
One of the USPs of this portal is the GO-PLUS tool which is an online GIS based Industrial Land bank which helps investors, located anywhere around the globe, select suitable land parcels for their projects and GO SMILE, which ensures hassle free Synchronized Inspection of Industries by different departments in the same time frame, saving time and resources for the investor companies. Odisha is the only state to have this solution which has been received very well by the Industries of the state.
The incentive administration is also online through this portal, so also the post allotment services by IDCO through GO-iPASS.
Odisha is one of the few states in the country which has extended the industrial facilitation to the CSR administration by the Industries, through the GO CARE portal which is part of the GO SWIFT.
The GO SWIFT portal has not just streamlined the whole process but has also significantly reduced the time taken for such approvals. “Before Go–SWIFT came, the approval time average time was 390 days. Now it's 19 days. This has come to 19 days in just 4 years,” Nitin B Jawale, managing director, IPICOL (Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha) told ETGovernment.
According to Jawale, the Odisha government has received about Rs 2, 42,000 crore worth of investment only within one year or from the time GoSWIFT was launched which was around 2 years back during the calendar year of 2018 – 19.
Further, the portal has been acknowledged as a digital transformation tool that has changed an offline and manual intervention based process to a hassle free and paperless system.
Odisha cornered about 18% of virgin investments drawn by all states and also edged past Maharashtra as the most attractive destination for investments during the first half April-September period of FY20 which is a huge achievement for the State.
The Government of India had already recognised GO-SWIFT as a best practice and advised other states to emulate the same.

The Odisha government on Tuesday organised an investment meeting in New Delhi highlighting investment opportunities in the Electronics and IT (E&IT), metals and startup sectors.
The investment meet is part of Odisha government's initiative to connect with potential investors in the lead up to the third edition of the biennial investment conclave 'Make in Odisha' scheduled from November 30 to December 4 this year.
"Odisha is known to be one of the first states to get the top four IT companies to set up centres on its turf. Our next phase is to ramp up Information Technology (IT) and ITes (IT-enabled services). In its geographic location, Odisha has many inherent advantages. We have an abundance of rivers and some well-developed ports," said Industries Secretary Hemant Sharma.
Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL) managing director Nitin Jawale said while Odisha has progressed industrially, they are expecting further investments in 2020.
"Recognising the importance of ESDM, the government has announced a special incentive package scheme for the sector comprising of subsidy on fixed capital investment for plant and machinery, exemption from Entry Tax on acquisition of machinery and equipment, Training subsidy, etc. We are very hopeful that we will be able to establish ourselves as the premier industrialised state in the country," said Jawale.
IT secretary Manoj Mishra said, "Odisha is en route to emerging as one of the most favored destinations for IT and electronics investments. The government has recast its existing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy. In the reformulated policy, the government is offering reimbursement of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), both to new and existing units."

Following the digital footsteps of e-governance the Odisha government has not just challenged the domination of West Bengal as the most industrialised state in the east but has further toppled Maharashtra in attracting new investments in H1 FY20. As the state moves ahead on the back of digitisation it looks to establish itself as the premier industrialised state in the country. Top state bureaucrat and managing director, IPICOL (Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha), Nitin B Jawale tells Ajay Kumar Shukla about the GO - SWIFT portal in Odisha, for single window clearance, that has worked wonders for investment in the state while tracking the entire lifecycle of the investment into consideration.

What are the key e-initiatives the government of Odisha has taken to boost investment in the state? Can you name a few such initiatives?
We have a solution that is called GO - SWIFT that is the government of Odisha – Single Window for Investor Facilitation and Tracking. This portal has been nominated for the national e-Governance Award. Many states have launched single window platforms but what is the different thing that we have done is that we are taking the entire lifecycle of the investment into consideration.
Whenever somebody has an investment intend for example, you have some cash surplus, you are already into some kind of sector based in Delhi and you feel that you want to invest to expand into some other territory. So, then the first thing that you will need is information about a particular state if you made up your mind to try the state of Odisha, so the information about that sector, the policies, the local dynamics and all information is available online.
The second step is that you'll need land if you have decided that Odisha is ideal for me but I need to have a right patch of land. So that thing is dealt in GOiPLUS, is a GIS based land bank portal where you can login the portal sitting here and zero down upon all the industrial land bank that is there.

Can you elaborate how GOPLUS, which is a GIS based land bank portal, and GoSMILE portal work?
The portal notifies not just about land but also about what are the utilities nearby, the kind of road near to the plot, what type of electrical line is going where, how far is the water supply and also information about kind of units which are already there in the vicinity.
The GoSMILE portal helps in providing single window government clearances to the industry. For example if you require 13 clearances or approval, you apply in the portal you'll get all the clearances at a specific time on this which is done by all of the states. But besides that, one of the best things that we have done which no other state has done is the GoSMILE (Government of Odisha – Synchronized Mechanism for inspection of Licensed Enterprises). For example - If you have a new unit and you have five different departments who will inspect in a year or a certain period of time. So, these people come on five different dates five times your time is wasted. What we have done is we have worked out the solution in such a way that the schedule is generated online automatically.
The different departments, fire departments, their inspectors are all selected randomly, and they have to go on the same day, complete the inspection on the same day or the same period of time and upload the inspection report online and generate it online so that this saves time and hassle. So, this is one of the best things that we have done. We have achieved a lot because of this GoSMILE.

Has that adoption of technology on such a scale really helped?
Yes, it has. Before Go – SWIFT came, the approval time average time was 390 days. Now it's 19 days. This has come to 19 days in just 4 years.

You have talked about investment. Can you share some figures?
The Odisha government has received about Rs 2, 42,000 crore worth of investment only within one year or from the time GoSWIFT was launched which was around 2 years back during the calendar year of 2018 – 19.

Does this investment intent translate into actual investment?
Our strike rate has been the best in the country. It would be inappropriate to tell you any figure but it has been said that the average is taken upto 30%. Whatever investment incentives, there is about 30%, 40% and around 50% but this can be calculated because many projects have a long gestation period. Even if an approval is given to start a project, to commission the plant it takes anything from four to five years so it's an ongoing process. On that front also we have seen a very good effect. We are at a stage where we are falling short of industrial land in our state. We have to now acquire Finish Land and give it to industries.

Is the Odisha government planning more such technology backed initiatives to reach out to a bigger audience?
The outreach that continuously went to those projects which could not materialise in our state and also went to those companies which had a bad experience. For example - For a very long time we have had not much of a business mission with Korea as a country as a whole after the POSCO issue. But recently in September, the Korean ambassador with some a group of businessmen came to Odisha under this Korea Caravan programme. We had a lot of interactions with them. Our chief minister had a meeting with all of them. We're trying to open up, especially with regards to matters of industrialisation of governance in general, we need to put our bad experiences behind and move on and try to reestablish them and that's a continuous process.

So, how is technology helping you in this?
We have come up with a CRM solution that we are going to call as GoS, it's already completed and it will be launched soon. Our target companies are mapped in that software and we have nodal officers, just like relationship managers who contact these companies according to a prescribed schedule. The officers keep in touch with these companies at every particular interval and map down their discussions, which leads to some kind of investment proposal. That is the technology that we're using.

Odisha expects work on the proposed Rs 53,700-crore integrated steel project at Jagatsinghpur in Paradip by Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Group to start soon following successful conclusion of a public hearing, a state official said on Sunday.
The consent of local people to the 12 million tonne per annum steel project holds significance as South Korean steel gaint POSCO had to abandon its proposed Rs 52,000-crore steel project at the same site due to stiff opposition from the local people.
"JSW's hearing was conducted peacefully and successfully. That is a huge development. The integrated project has been passed unopposed with almost same investment that POSCO was looking ... that is a change ... We expect the work to start soon on Rs 53,700 crore JSW project Utkal Steel Limited project," IPICOL Managing Director Nitin B Jawale said.
The Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) is the single point of contact for all industrial investments in the state.
"The success of this public hearing paves way for the establishment of an Integrated steel plant of 12 MTPA capacity, 10 MTPA cement plant and a 900-megawatt captive power plant by the Sajjan Jindal-led group, on an area of 2,980 acre. An all-weather multi-cargo greenfield jetty with handling capacity of 52 MTPA is also part of the project," Jawale said.
However, sources told PTI that JSW has not received the required 2,980 acres of land and th project will take time as formalities, including land handover, erection of boundary, will take time.
When contacted, JSW declined to comment sighting silent period. The company's financial results are slated for January 24.
Jawale said conclusion of peaceful public hearing is a positive development for Odisha and "a major milestone in its industrialisation efforts" as the proposed steel plant is on the same site where the Korean steel giant POSCO's project was envisaged and there was no opposition from the locals.
"The erstwhile opponents of the POSCO project have also welcomed the JSW project now, demanding an ideal rehabilitation and resettlement package from the state government. This development will also help dispel the prevailing misconceptions about this region and with a major port in the vicinity the Paradip in Odisha is poised for diversified industrial growth," he said.
POSCO had entered into a pact with Odisha government in 2005 to set up more than Rs 50,000 crore steel unit but dropped the plan after facing stiff opposition from locals for more than a decade.
The official also claimed that Odisha recently toppled Maharashtra in attracting new investments in the first half of this fiscal and "cornered 18 per cent of virgin investments drawn by all states in the country."
He said through progressive policy interventions called VISION 2030 , the state aims to do more than 50 per cent value addition to the metal produced in the state by the year 2030, by attracting and grounding downstream industries in metal sector.

The extension of 'Mo Sarkar' or My Government initiative to the industries and MSME (micro, small & medium enterprises) departments is expected to speed up the pace of fresh investments attracted by Odisha in the first two editions of 'Make in Odisha', the showpiece biennial conclave.
"Introduction of Mo Sarkar initiative augurs well for the pace of implementation of new industrial projects in Odisha. It will usher in transparency and fix accountability on the concerned officers," said an industry source.
In addition to industries and MSME departments, the Mo Sarkar initiative will cover key agencies and corporations whose functions are intertwined with the two departments. Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol) - the one stop agency for investment promotion, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), the facilitator for land allotment and industrial infrastructure development and the offices of the Director of Industries, Directorate of Export Promotion & Marketing and 31 District Industries Centres (DICs).
The 'Mo Sarkar' initiative mandates that anyone visiting these offices would have his mobile number registered in the 'Mo Sarkar' portal. A toll-free number is being provided to register the number of the person concerned. Calls will be made by the Chief Minister, the minister and the departmental authorities to randomly selected numbers. In case of negative feedback, the concerned office or institution run the risk of poor ranking. Consistent good feedback offers a number of incentives to the concerned officers including out of turn promotions.
“We are fully prepared to live up to the expectations of its clientele. Necessary efforts towards sensitizing the officials have been taken up. I believe the department is fully aligned with the objectives of Mo Sarkar”, said industries minister Dibya Shankar Mishra.
At the first two editions of 'Make in Odisha', the state government has drawn investments in upwards of Rs six trillion across sectors. While Odisha aced other states in conversion of investment intents into firm commitments, their implementation woes has stuck out like a sore thumb.

The Government of Odisha continues to propel employment opportunities and boost industrialisation in the state by according its approval to three investment proposals worth Rs 17,833 crore which will create 6539 new jobs.
The High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik today in the Conference hall in Kharavela Bhawan further strengthened the predominance of the state in the core sectors of steel, aluminum and thermal power by approving a proposal each in those sectors.
Hon'ble Chief Minister took stock of the follow up of investment intents received during MIO 2016 and MIO 2018. Odisha has seen diversified Industrial development in the recent years with grounding of projects in Textile & Apparel, Chemical & Petrochemicals, Tourism and Food processing sectors. Principal Secretary Industries, Shri Hemant Sharma, presented a roadmap for MIO 2020 which included outreach activities, industrial infrastructure development and policy interventions.
The HLCA approved the proposal of Hindalco Industries Ltd. for setting up a 2 Million Ton per annum (MTPA) Alumina Refinery unit at- Kansariguda, District- Rayagada with a total investment of Rs. 8000 crore providing employment to about 4250 people .
It also approved the proposal of NTPC Ltd. for expansion of thermal power plant capacity of Talcher Thermal Power Station, located at: Talcher, Dist: Angul with additional investment of Rs.7698.46 crores .
The proposal of Rungta Mines Limited (RML) to expand its Integrated Steel Plant from 0.27 MTPA to 0.9 MTPA capacity at village- Kamanda, District - Sundargarh with a total investment of Rs. 2135 crore providing additional employment of 2289 people was also approved by HLCA.

Odisha, the current home of Indian hockey, will again host the 2023 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup. The previous edition of the World Cup was held in Bhubaneswar in December 2018 with Belgium being crowned the champions.
The forthcoming edition of the extravaganza will be hosted in two cities - Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The announcement was made at a glittering event at the Kalinga stadium amidst 15,000 people.
Speaking at the launch, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said, "We have always had a very passionate crowd which supports the sport of hockey, and with the presence of world-class, top-of-the-line facilities in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, it swells my heart with great pride that Odisha will once again be celebrating the festival of hockey when we host the FIH Hockey Men's World Cup in January 2023."
The men's hockey team, which qualified for the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, is currently training at the Kalinga stadium was present at the event.
With Bhubaneswar hosting the second consecutive World Cup, Narinder Dhruv Batra, president, Indian Olympic Association, pointed out the only other option was New Delhi and administrative stumbling blocks were plenty to explore the national capital, which hosted the World Cup in 2010. He also added that other cities could not be explored since government and administrative support are crucial.
"We only had Bhubaneswar and Delhi as options and now we have Rourkela. We could not explore Delhi as a host city because the stadium is occupied by the home ministry. We need a sanitised place. Also, the state government has a revenue sharing policy and that is not feasible in a sport like hockey," said Batra, who is also the president of the FIH.
The inclusion of Rourkela as a co-host city came as a surprise, especially since it is about 330 km from Bhubaneswar with accessibility and logistics being a challenge. But Vishal Dev, secretary sports, Odisha government, explained, "We have three years to work on the infrastructure and other facilities. We already have a stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000 which belongs to the Rourkela Steel Plant, we will upgrade it to FIH standards. We also have Pamposh sports hostel turf close by which too will be upgraded."
HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE AT KALINGA STADIUM
On the occasion, a hockey High Performance Centre too was announced with Hockey India and Odisha government partnering for the same.
"A hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) is already functioning in collaboration with TATA steel in a temporary structure. A permanent structure in 1.20 lakh sq metres area is coming up inside the Kalinga stadium premises which will house both the hockey HPC and the Abhinav Bindra Target Performance Centre," added Dev.

That Odisha has now emerged as the top investment destination among states, reportedly attracting 18% of all investments nationally during April-September, is remarkable. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is serving out his fifth continuous term. Good politics can lead to good economics, too, it would appear. Odisha has been able leverage its resources and locational advantages to coagulate funds on the ground, with transparency and increased efficiency. Other investment-laggard states can well traverse the growth path, provided they build effective partnerships with all stakeholders.

CM Naveen Patnaik has been instrumental in bringing about Odisha’s turnaround. The watchword seems to have been to raise standards and governance levels quite across the board. The early move to set up Biju Patnaik University of Technology to shore up skills appears to have paid rich dividends; Odisha is now a regional educational hub. It has led to a very promising knowledge and information technology industry, and more. The entire process of investment solicitation and follow-through policy action has gone digital. Information technology tools have been deployed to remove opacity and rev up efficiency.

The early focus on leveraging iron ore and bauxite resources to boost downstream value-addition has hugely improved funds flow, and has led to formation of other clusters such as petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and food-processing. In tandem, path-breaking social policies like the Mamata scheme for expectant mothers, which has been replicated nationwide, or health and income-support schemes, have been pioneering. Naveen Patnaik, who makes it a point to be friendly across the political divide, would appear to hold lessons for fellow chief ministers.

Odisha has edged past Maharashtra as the most attractive destination for investments during H1 or the April-September period of FY20. Cornering 18 per cent of the virgin investments drawn by all states, Odisha won hands down, surging past Maharashtra, which mopped up 16 per cent.

In FY19, Maharashtra had aced other states, grabbing 21 per cent share of the new investments. By contrast, Odisha which had a mere four per cent share last fiscal, drastically improved its tally to 18 per cent in the April-September period of this financial year, data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed. Gujarat was another major gainer, scaling up its share in total new investments from two per cent to nine per cent in the period under review. Gujarat’s share in the new investments had deteriorated from nine per cent in FY17 to two per cent in FY19. However, during the first six months of the current fiscal year, it regained its share in the new investments to nine per cent in H1 FY20.

The percentage share of eight states in new investments plunged in During H1 of FY20. These were: Telangana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra. Seven other states gained in share: Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Andaman & Nicobar.

During H1 FY20, new investments contracted by 83 per cent as against a 15 per cent growth logged in the corresponding period last year. Transport services had the highest share of 77 per cent in the services sector in FY19, an analysis by CARE Ratings noted. Construction and real estate, where investments shrank in FY19, witnessed their share contracting 49 per cent in H1 FY20.

New investment projects in FY19 were the lowest in the past five years. The scenario deteriorated in H1 of FY20 as fresh investments slumped to a 15-year low. The private sector committed more investment projects in the period than the government. The manufacturing sector drove new investments, whereas services and electricity sectors witnessed a decline.

“There has been a sustained decline in the new projects undertaken in the past five years. Investments in new projects amounted to Rs 11.9 trillion, the lowest in the past five years. New investments contracted for the fourth consecutive year by 10 per cent in FY19, lower than the 22 per cent contraction in the previous year. During H1 FY20, the aggregate new investments were the lowest in the corresponding period over the past 15 years at Rs 1.9 trillion,” the report by CARE Ratings said.

The overall investment climate is emblematic of a slowdown aligning with the relatively slow growth in consumption and surplus capacity of the industry in general. Funding continues to remain a key challenge to be negotiated unless the stress in banking and NBFC (non-banking financial services) is mitigated. A confluence of growth in new projects and reduction in stalled projects is needed to improve the investment climate, the report noted.

Putting behind the bitter experience of steel major POSCO’s unsuccessful bid to set up a plant in Odisha, South Korea has evinced keen interest in forging a new relationship in investment and business with the State.
South Korean Ambassador Shin Bong-kil, who led a business delegation, met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and key functionaries of the industries department here on Monday.
“Recognising the State’s potential in natural resources, POSCO had made $12 billion investment commitment in 2005 to set up a steel plant in the State — it was not only the single largest overseas investment by a South Korean company, but also the single largest foreign investment ever made in India,” said Mr. Shin.
Observing that POSCO’s mega investment had faced many hurdles, he said: “I understand both sides have learnt from POSCO’s experience and now need to make a fresh start. Odisha is a State growing very fast.”

Observing that POSCO’s mega investment had faced many hurdles, he said: “I understand both sides have learnt from POSCO’s experience and now need to make a fresh start. Odisha is a State growing very fast.”

The delegation included representatives of Samsung, Hyundai, Kia and LG. Commenting on the slowdown in the automobile sector, the Ambassador said: “I think the phenomenon is temporary. Things will improve shortly. Korean automakers, however, have been doing very well in India.”

Addressing the delegation, Mr. Patnaik said, “The Republic of Korea and Odisha have many possibilities to collaborate across identified focus sectors. We are in the process of promulgating a strategy document, Vision 2030, to ensure that 50% of the primary metal produced in the State is value-added within the State.”

“Odisha is also fast emerging as the petrochemicals and chemicals hub where Korea has natural strengths. We welcome Korean investments in these and other sectors,” said Mr. Patnaik.

Odisha participated in the event “Petrochem 2019” in Kolkata on Saturday and invited corporate houses like leading car and bike tyre manufacturer Ceat, plastic bottle, jar and container manufacturer Harshpet and Glen Industries to invest in the State. 

The event themed “Growth Drivers in the Petrochemicals Business to Progress the Future’ was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce. An ‘Invest Odisha’ delegation led by Special Secretary of Industries Department and MD of Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation Nitin Jawale held discussions with the leading industries during the event which focused on  growth of manufacturing units in the downstream petrochemical sector and how it could contribute to real growth of the economy in terms of employment and investment. Addressing a host of industry leaders and investors from the petrochemicals sector, Jawale highlighted the steps taken by Odisha Government to create an enabling ecosystem for downstream units in petrochemicals in the State. 

“The proposed investment by Haldia Petrochemicals and expansion plans of Indian Oil Corporation in the State and the assurance of feedstock by anchor players presents a perfect ecosystem for the growth of downstream industries in the sector,” he said.

Odisha Industries Minister Dibya Sankar Mishra has urged the investors of Singapore to explore business opportunities in the industry ready state of Odisha.

He made the request while attending the India Singapore Business & Innovation Summit at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore.

After plenary talks about investment opportunities in Odisha by Mishra, who is leading the Invest Odisha delegation, MD IPICOL & Special Secretary Industries department Dr. Nitin Jawale, during the Odisha state session in the afternoon, gave a presentation on '10 reasons to Invest in Odisha', which caught the imagination of the corporate present at the event.

Organised by High Commission of India in Singapore the event was graced by India's External Affairs Minister S. Jayashankar and Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balalkrishnan.

The Odia association of Singapore felicitated Capt Dibya Sankar Mishra, Honble Minister Industries, MSME, Energy and Home today along with the delegation accompanying him at Singapore Innovation Centre.Speaking on the occasion Dr. Nitin Jawale, IAS MD IPICOL urged the Odia community in Singapore to be the ambassadors of their state and spread the story of Odisha’s development far and wide.
Honble Minister urged the Odia fraternity in Singapore to explore investing in their home state for which he assured the fullest cooperation from his side.
The Odia samaj requested that the state govt should regularly interact with the Odia communities like them outside the country and that they would do all for the betterment of the state.

A delegation of ‘Invest Odisha’ led by state Industries and MSME minister, Dibya Sankar Mishra and comprising of MD IPICOL and Special Secretary Industries department, Nitin Jawale participated in the India Singapore Business and Innovation Summit at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Singapore on Monday. The delegation also included industry representatives from Tata group, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Haldia Petrochemicals. The event was organized by the High Commission of India in Singapore. Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jayashankar and Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan graced the occasion as esteemed guests. Mishra gave a plenary talk about investment opportunities in Odisha and urged the investors in Singapore to explore the industry ready state of Odisha.

Jawale gave a presentation on ’10 Reasons to Invest in Odisha’, which caught the imagination of the corporates present at the event. Similarly, Arun Mishra and Prashant Mallik of Tata group made a presentation on Gopalpur Industrial Park & SEZ and spoke about the support of the Odisha government towards industrialization.

Odisha's attempts to lure investors in textiles and apparel, one of its six identified focus sectors, is gaining traction. After playing host to the units of Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL) and the export oriented firm Shahi Exports, the state government is wooing Jockey India to set up its manufacturing base.
Jockey India, publicly listed as Page Industries, is in talks with state officials for a garment making unit. Jockey plans to manufacture its available range of apparel from the Odisha facility. The company has proposed to invest Rs 120 crore on the unit that will generate employment for around 5,000 people.
“Jockey has evinced interest in setting up its garment manufacturing facility. We are ready to offer them land at the Ramdaspur industrial estate after evaluating their proposal,” said an official source.The attractiveness of Odisha for textiles investments is vindicated by ABFRL and Shahi Exports operating their units out of Bhubaneswar.
A report of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) titled 'Location Analysis for Selected Cities in Odisha for Apparel Sector' shows that Odisha is emerging as one of the top destinations for apparel manufacturing in the country. The state government has identified apparel as one of the identified focus sectors as part of its Vision 2025 for industrial development. Odisha offers abundant skilled skilled workforce for the apparel sector, the report substantiated.
"With multiple dedicated locations identified for setting up apparel parks, competitive land rates and ready to occupy industrial sheds, Odisha offers a compelling value proposition for units in the apparel sector", AEPC noted.
Over and above its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) of 2015 laden with fiscal and non-fiscal sops, the Odisha government has formulated the Odisha Apparel Policy 2016, providing additional support for development of the sector. The sector specific policy offers various incentives including employment and investment based incentives, various fiscal incentives, capital grants of 20 per cent of project cost of the park up to Rs 20 crore, interest free loan up to 10 per cent of project cost, with a maximum limit of Rs 10 crore, among others.

Odisha on Monday cleared investment proposals totalling Rs 2,04,069 crore, mostly in the petroleum sector. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCLNSE -1.23 %) will invest Rs 1,00,300 crore in expanding its Paradip refinery capacity from 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 25 mtpa and setting up a naphtha cracker unit. 

The high level committee under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik cleared IOCL’s proposal on Monday. IOCL will add 10 mt capacity to its Paradip refinery, and build a dual feed cracker unit of 3-4 mtpa which will be fed largely (80-90 per cent by Naphtha and 10-20 per cent Ethane), it will also be setting up a 1.3 mtpa petcoke gasification plant. 

IOCL is also investing another Rs 9136 crore in a 1.2 mtpa PX-PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid complex) at the same site. 

The investment proposal submitted to the government, through its single window clearance system in July, also consists of a 1.4 mtpa ethylene unit, a 0.65 mtpa propylene unit, 650 ktpa poly propylene and other related units. Patnaik’s government has been hoping to draw investments into downstream petrochemichal sector and IOCL’s petrochemical complex will help sustain them. 

The expansion will require 4200 acres of government and private and land. The state–owned oil company has already invested Rs 35,000 crore in its crude oil refinery in coastal Paradip, and post this investment will be one of the largest investors in the state. 

The committee also approved the Rs 78,225 crore investment proposal of Haldia Petrochemicals towards a hydrocarbon processing complex with a light crude oil refinery, aromatics unit and ethylene cracker unit near the proposed Subarnarekha port in Balasore district. 

A Rs 1676 crore proposal of Jindal (India) Ltd to set up a cold rolling complex of half a million tonne capacity at their Kalinganagar plant was also cleared. As was a proposal from Talcher Fertilizer Ltd to set up a coal based urea fertilizer complex of 1.99 mtpa investing Rs 14,732 crore. 

The Forest Advisory Committee has agreed to the transfer of a clearance granted earlier to steelmaker Posco for its Odisha steel project in favour of greenfield plant that JSW Steel plans to set up in the state, people aware of the development said. 

JSW Steel had pitched to build a the 13.2MT plant at the site in Jagatsinghpur once allocated to Posco for its proposed steel project. 

In 2017, South Korea’s Posco had abandoned the project. 

The state government had agreed to hand over 2,968 ha of this land in Jagatsinghpur to JSW. 

The persons cited earlier said on the condition of anonymity that the minutes of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) meeting are yet to be uploaded on the ministry of environment and forest and climate change (MoEFCC) website. 

An official of state’s industry department said the FAC meeting was to take up the matter on August 16, and that he believed the transfer has been cleared. 

The controversial patch had tested the strength and scope of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 when Posco had set out to build its plant. Naveen Patnaik’s government had not settled community or individual forest rights that the Act required it to implement, on the presumption that the largely non-tribal locals could not make such claims and the land, sand dunes on which betel leaves were being cultivated, was government-owned. 

Years of resistance eventually ended with the MoEFCC granting the project a 30-year clearance on May 4, 2011 on “grounds of cooperative federalism”. 

However, Posco abandoned its plan—at $12 billion, it would have been India’s largest FDI then—when the Narendra Modi government changed laws mandating auctions of iron ore mines. Posco had waited for 10 years to get exploration rights to the Khandadhar iron ore deposit. The 2015 amendment, however, killed its hopes. 

JSW, with an 18-million tonne annual capacity of steel, requires 23 million tonnes of iron ore for its plants. It is expected to be a keen participant in the upcoming auctions of mines in Odisha. The company is already preparing to lay a 30-million tonne slurry pipeline to carry iron ore from mines in Odisha’s Joda and Barbil districts in the north to its pellet plant in Jajpur, Brahmani River Pellets, acquired in December 2017. It has also invested in two berths at the Paradip Port. 

The transfer, possibly a first for a industrial project, is believed to have taken a cue from the transfer of clearances granted to the quashed coal blocks. 

The FAC, a body under the MoEFCC that vets applications for forest diversion, had earlier insisted on a no-objection certificate from Posco. The NOC has been submitted, claimed senior government officials in the state ministry of industries. 

JSW Utkal, the subsidiary the company has set up for its Odisha plans, will build a 13 MT plant in phases, a captive power plant and a jetty at the mouth of the Jatadhari river. Resistance for the project this time around is almost muted.

The Utkal Mistanna Byabasayee Samiti (UMBS), the state level makers' association, on Monday urged the state government to set up 'Mitha hubs' with necessary infrastructural facilitie for development of the confectionary industry. The sweet-makers association that was granted Geographical Indication (GI) status for Odisha Rasagola jointly with the Odisha Small Industries Corporation Limited on July 29, discussed different aspects of getting the status and to draw a road map for promotion and popularisation of the Odia delicacy across the world. They distributed 50,000 rasagolas among public to celebrate GI status to rasagola during the function here on Monday. 

“It was certainly a difficult battle to get the GI for Odish to get the GI for Odisha rasagola and also to prove the whole world that it was originated here in Odisha and is being offered to Lord Jagannath for centuries Now after the GI, it has become more important to promote it across the globe and let the world taste the real rasagola. For this we have urged the state government to set up a ‘mitha hub’ with all infrastructure facilities so that the sector would become more organised and grow,” said president of UMBS, Bimbadhar Behera.

Rasagola making is an over Rs 5500 crore industry in the state with thousands of sweetmakers engaged in the process of production and sell of the syrupy sweet.

Addressing the gathering of sweetmakers assembled from across the state Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) minister Dibyashankar Mishra said, “Rasagola is a proud of Odisha and we would make all initiative to promote and popularise the sweet dish. A large number of people are engaged in the industry so we are ready to support. The department would identify and provide land for setting up the hub. The members of the association are requested to come with detailed projects so that we can come out with a concrete roadmap on how to go about it.”

UMBS also requested the state government to strengthen the packaging industry in the state without which rasagolas cannot be exported to other states or countries.

“GI Tag to any product indicates its speciality and how it is different from similar products produced in other parts of India. Now it is very important to maintain the quality and unique characteristics of Odisha rasagola for which it got the GI status. A lot more work has to be done in this field,” said Pramod Kumar Panda, principal scientist at Indian Institute of Water Management, who played a significant role in writing the GI Application.

Odisha Government’s Single Window Portal for Investor Facilitation and Tracking (GO SWIFT) has been recognised as the best practice by the Centre.

In a communication to all the States, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade under Ministry of Commerce and Industry has advised to evaluate the single window system GO SWIFT of Odisha for replication with suitable modifications.

Launched in 2017, GO SWIFT is a first-of-its-kind portal to facilitate ease of doing business in the State. Investors interested to put up new industrial units can obtain all necessary information regarding projects, applicable incentives and clearances required through an interactive tool called Info-Wizard.

GO SWIFT also facilitates online approval from the single window authority and land allotment from IDCO. Industrial units can apply, make a payment, track status of their applications and obtain approvals for 32 Government to business (G2B) services from 15 State Government departments.

“GO SWIFT has seamlessly integrated all existing technological applications of Industries department via Single Sing On framework to provide unmatched facilitation to new as well as existing industries in the State,” said Principal Secretary, Industries Sanjeev Chopra.

He said more than 6,500 industrial units have already taken benefit of the investor services available in the portal.

The Odisha government on Tuesday cleared a Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd proposal to invest Rs 28,700 crore for setting up an integrated refinery and petrochemicals facility in Balasore. 

A panel led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal. The government will allot state-owned land and consider fiscal concessions for the project, a state government official said. 

They (Haldia Petrochemicals) have sought certain concessions. We are setting up a panel to examine that,” the official said. The government, however, will not take any equity in the project. 

Odisha has identified 2,000 acres for the project near the proposed Subarnarekha Port, which the state is building jointly with Tata SteelNSE 2.50 %. The entire land parcel is under control of the state, though a part of it is forest area, which will need regulatory clearance for industrial use. 

“Getting clearance is not insurmountable, though not easy,” the official said, adding that he expected the clearances in 10-12 months. 
Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) will invest Rs 28,700 crore in the first phase of the project that would entail a total investment of Rs 70,000 crore, the official said. The first phase is expected to be completed in five years. 

“With this, we would have a big presence in oil and petrochemicals. We would be on the east coast what Gujarat is on the west coast,” the official said. “We are trying to reduce our dependence on minerals and metals.” 

Indian Oil operates a 15-million-tonne refinery and petrochemical complex at Odisha’s Paradip. 

The petrochemical project and the port will benefit each other. While HPL will get infrastructure to import crude oil, the Subarnarekha Port will get a big customer, the official said. 

The HPL unit is planned to produce 1.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of paraxylene and 2.5 mtpa of purified terepthalic acid (PTA), and light naphtha and petrol. “Setting up the PTA unit will trigger investment in these products and will catalyse growth of further downstream processing units along the value chain, driving economic growth in the region,” an official statement said. 

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to handover approval papers to the company tomorrow
Gemini Edibles & Fats India Private Limited (GEF India) proposes to set up a vegetable oil refinery at the Tata Steel Industrial Park, Gopalpur, in Ganjam district of Odisha.

The Hyderabad-based company, which manufactures and markets edible oils and fats, proposes to set up a 396 kilotonnes per annum capacity unit for refined sunflower oil, palm oil and vegetable fats with a total investment of 300 crore. The facility spread over 25 acres, provide direct and indirect employment to over 525 people.

Submitted for preliminary project assessment on February 1, GEF India’s proposal is the 600th investment proposal received by Odisha’s single window portal GO-SWIFT, since its launch 14 months ago. The project is expected to be implemented within 12 months from the date of approval.

Product portfolio
GEF India’s product portfolio includes sunflower oil, rice bran oil, mustard oil, palmolein oil and vanaspati. The portfolio includes speciality fats for bakery products, chocolates and ice creams. The 4,122-crore company has two port-based manufacturing facilities at Krishnapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and markets its products under the ‘Freedom’ brand. The company will import crude oil through the Gopalpur port, for which it is in negotiation with Gopalpur Port management for the pipeline corridor.

“The Make in Odisha Conclave held in November last year has resulted in a slew of investment proposals. Due to significant ease of application and expeditious approval process, there has been a considerable increase in the number of investors wanting to set up their units in Odisha. We will continue to raise the bar for ease of doing business in the State and speedy implementation of projects” said Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary, Industries Department and Chairman, Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL).

He said, the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority approval will be handed over by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, to the CEO of GEF India on February 19.

Odisha has seen over 118 large manufacturing projects approved with employment potential of 1,28,572 in the past four years alone in the State.

KOLKATA: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRLNSE 0.14 %) is investing Rs 114 crore to set up a new apparel manufacturing plant in Rayagda district of Odisha with potential to create over 2750 jobs. This unit will have a capacity to produce 3.6 million pieces of apparel per annum. 

Odisha industries department principal secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the proposal has been approved in the single window clearance on Tuesday. “This will be the second apparel manufacturing unit of ABFRL in Odisha and comes on the heels of the first unit in Bhubaneswar set up in November last year,” he said. 
Chopra said this will be a milestone development in Rayagada district as 2,750 jobs will be created, most of which will be for women. 

The company has indicated in its proposal that the new up-coming plant will be financed 30% by equity and balance 70% by term loan. The project will be implemented within 24 months from the date of approval. 
ABFRL sells in-house brands such as Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Peter England and also operates the fashion retail chain Pantaloons. The company’s first unit in Odisha has a capacity of four million shirts per annum and employs around 2,000 employees who are mostly women. 

The Odisha government has expressed interest in setting up a dedicated machine tool park in the Jajpur district of the State. The park is expected to come up at the Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex covering at least 100 acres.

A detailed proposal in this regard was submitted to the Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Ministry late last month.

If this materialises, it will be the second such machine tool park after Tumkur in Karnataka.

The move comes after the Union Minister  for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Anant Geete, during the Capital Goods in Steel Sector: Manufacture in India conclave, assured support to the State government for such a proposal.

With 38 odd MoUs signed during the capital goods manufacturing conclave, around 39,400 crore worth of investments are expected in the sector.

Downstream industries
According to Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Government of Odisha, the  tool park proposal is also in line with the State’s vision of promoting downstream industries in the metal sector.

Chopra added that the process of developing dedicated parks like the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (a steel cluster) in Kalinganar and an aluminium park at Angul have already been initiated.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has recently submitted the proposal seeking its approval. This will enhance competitiveness of the Indian capital goods sector and promote downstream industries, he told BusinessLine.

Project details
According to the detailed project report, the machine tools park is expected to have 58 odd units and will require an investment of 280 crore (approximately) towards infrastructure. Around 80 per cent of this cost will come in as grant from the Centre. The remaining 20 per cent and land needs will be fulfilled by the Odisha government.

Another 500 crore of investment is expected to be made by the units that will set up shop there. The project will provide employment for 1,500 people.

Focus will be on machine tools, tooling, dies and moulds the heavy electrical equipment sector; the mining and construction equipment segment; the process plant equipment sector; and metallurgical machinery, including steel plant equipment. Other focus sectors would be plastics processing machinery and textile & jute machinery.

Land for the project has been identified and work is expected to start once clearances from the Ministry come through, Chopra said.

Tata Steel will develop the port on the Subarnarekha river's mouth in four to five years, a top company executive said in Bhubaneswar.

"We hope that in the next few months, all issues will be ironed out and then we can start work on the (Subarnarekha) port project. Tata Steel will complete the port development in the next four to five years. We have 51 per cent ownership in the company that has a concession agreement for developing the port. Our investments on the port could run into Rs 2,000-3,000 crore," said T V Narendran, global chief executive officer and managing director of Tata Steel.

He said that the port has got a lot of potential and could emerge as an important port not just for Odisha but for Jharkhand and West Bengal, too. The port would be able to handle at least 25 million tonnes of cargo annually, he said.

Strategically, Narendran feels that the Subarnarekha port has the potential to turn out to be the best port for Tata Steel's Jamshedpur steel mill. "We have been servicing the Jamshedpur steel plant from the ports at Paradip and Dhamra. But we believe Subarnarekha will be the best port for servicing Jamshedpur," he added.

Top officials of Tata Steel have had negotiations with the Odisha government on the status and roadmap ahead of the Subarnarekha port.

Odisha's chief secretary Aditya Padhi said, "We have handed over 692 acres land for developing the Subarnarekha port. An additional 150 acres, including a mix of government and private land, is pending for transfer. Once the port authorities get the access road spread over 27 acres, they can commence work."

Padhi said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would lay the foundation stone for the Subarnarekha port on February 13. He estimated the project cost at Rs 5,000 crore.

Tata Steel, in January 2017, had inked a definitive agreement with Chennai-based Creative Port Development Ltd (CPDPL) to pick up 51 per cent equity in the port project from the original promoters.

The Subarnarekha river mouth is envisaged to be developed as a commercial port on the build, own, operate, share and transfer (BOOST) model. The port development is envisaged through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Subarnarekha Port Pvt Ltd (SPPL).

CPDPL, promoted by two technical entrepreneurs, Ramani Ramaswamy and Ramaswamy Rangarajan, had entered into a concession agreement with the Odisha government in January 2008 to develop the Subarnarekha port in Balasore district as an all-weather deep-draft facility.

According to the concession agreement signed originally, the port would have an initial capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), which was to be scaled up to 40 mtpa in 10 years. As per this agreement, the port developer would share revenue with the state government at the rate of five per cent from first to the fifth year, eight per cent from sixth to 10th year, 10 per cent from 11th to 15th year and 12 per cent for the remaining 15 years.

The cluster has drawn investors in mobile handset manufacturing, solar modules, printed circuit boards, electric vehicles and IoT (Internet of Things) devices
After a slow start since the final approval from the Centre in 2016, the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Odisha is stealing a march over competing states with a flurry of investment proposals.

The EMC, developed on the city's outskirts, is expected to house at least 10 confirmed investments worth Rs 500 crore that will start running from March 2019. The cluster has drawn investors in mobile handset manufacturing, solar modules, printed circuit boards, electric vehicles and IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
“The past six months have turned the tide for the EMC. We have received a rush of investments from committed players. Initially, we struggled as there was lack of an ecosystem to spur investors for the cluster. We focused on building a global supply chain, international flight connectivity, ramping up skilled manpower and incentives for the investors. With these strengths, our EMC has surged ahead of similar clusters in other states”, said a senior government official.

As many as 20 EMCs are being developed across 13 states under a scheme of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.

Recently, the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) in Odisha given its nod to two proposals in the ESDM (electronic system design and manufacturing ) sector. StarGSM Upakaran Peripherals, a Jaipur-based cellular handset and accessories company has committed to invest Rs 75 crore to set up a unit to manufacture 10 lakh pieces per annum of mobile handsets and accessories such as printed circuit boards, battery, charger and power banks. It will generate job opportunities for 1300 persons.
Similarly, Hyderabad based software company C-TEL Infosystems will set up a software centre to develop Internet of Things (IoT) software at the EMC which is coming up at Infovalley. The unit will come up at an investment of Rs 65 crore and will create direct and indirect job opportunities for 730 people.

The state government is also expecting three to four investors in solar modules in the next three to four months, each with investments in the range of Rs 30-50 crore.

The EMC has come up on 203 acres of land at a cost of Rs 205 crore.

The greenfield park, as per industry estimates is expected to attract industries with combined investment value of Rs 1000 crore and employment potential of 10,000 to 12,000 persons.

The stringent norms for getting incentives had failed to attract the investors despite having a special incentive package scheme for ESDM sector. Only those investors intending to invest more than Rs 200 crore and offering employment to more than 500 persons at the time of commissioning and creating jobs for more than 2,000 persons in a span of five years are entitled to 25 per cent investment subsidy on capital investment subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore.

The government is considering to amend the scheme as most of the keen investors are finding themselves ineligible for the sops due to stringent eligibility norms.

W Edwards Deming, the noted American statistician, once said, "In God we trust. All others must bring data." Thanks to the National CSR Data Portal, launched earlier this year, data on CSR spending by companies is now publicly available. In addition to providing state/UT-wise, district-wise and development sector-wise spending details, it also offers information on expenditure by different companies. It sources this data from information filed by companies on the MCA21 registry in their financial statements. A look at the comparative charts on this portal makes three things abundantly clear. Let's take figures for FY 2016-17. First, there is a huge difference in the geographical distribution of money spent on CSR. While Maharashtra managed to get the maximum at Rs 2,222.25 crore, Mizoram, Nagaland, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands got less than Rs 1 crore. Second, even within a state or UT, spending may not be uniform. In Delhi, of 11 districts, Shahdara did not attract CSR funds. In West Bengal, while Kolkata got Rs 95 crore, many districts including Cooch Behar did not get any share of CSR money. Third, even across development sectors, while the 'Education, Differently Abled, Livelihood' sector got the maximum share of CSR spending at Rs 5,123.83 crore, Clean Ganga Fund got the minimum at Rs 24.23 crore. Many have highlighted this inequality in the geographical and sectoral distribution of CSR spending. Some have raised concerns of duplication of effort in some and exclusion of others.
To put this in perspective, let's look at the legal provisions. Companies Act, 2013 introduced the CSR provision in law. Section 135 mandates companies with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or more, turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or more or net profit of Rs 5 crore or more during the immediately preceding financial year, to set up a CSR Committee of the Board. This Committee needs to formulate a CSR Policy indicating activities in areas or subjects listed in Schedule VII of the Act. In every financial year, these companies need to spend at least 2 per cent of their average net profits made during three immediately preceding financial years on activities as per their CSR Policy. The provision clearly states that "…the company shall give preference to the local area and areas around it where it operates, for spending the amount earmarked for Corporate Social Responsibility activities". Many have held this to be responsible for certain areas being left out.

Schedule VII enumerates activities that companies can pursue. It covers diverse issues like poverty eradication, health, sanitation, education, gender equality, environment, heritage protection and sports. Companies are at liberty to choose from these. It is quite possible that local area preference may also limit the sectors where one can spend. Further, as some point out, companies may not be well versant with needs on the ground. While the National CSR Data Portal reflects the supply side, the demand side must be known too. There are areas and sectors in dire need of resources that are often overlooked. To check this, Odisha government has undertaken a unique initiative called 'GO CARE' (Government of Odisha CSR Administration and Responsive Engagement) portal. It seeks to "…guide the corporates about the human developmental indices and priority gap areas for various sectors". The state government has constituted a CSR Council and one of the aims of this Council is to reduce the disparity in CSR expenditure across districts. The GO CARE portal provides a list of projects recommended by the CSR Council which are spread across various sectors as listed out in Schedule VII of the Act. It also provides information on state indicators like demographics, education, environment, health, rural development and urban slums. Such an initiative becomes important in light of the fact that during 2014-17, only 10 districts of Odisha attracted a whopping 93 per cent of CSR money. Learning from Odisha, it might be a good idea to replicate this move across other states and UTs. Each of them can come up with a portal mapping areas and development sectors that need resources. Companies would then have a better idea of where to invest their CSR money most productively. This should only be to nudge companies to spend in underinvested areas; the final decision would still rest with companies. Such a move would have many advantages. First, it would instil a sense of healthy competition among states and UTs to attract CSR funds. Second, it would provide companies with useful information by mapping the demands of various geographical areas and development sectors. This would help them choose and make an informed decision about how to spend their money. Third, it would encourage eligible companies to meet their CSR quota. The data recently released by PRIME Database shows that in the last financial year, of the money meant to be spent by NSE listed companies on CSR, Rs 17.17 billion remained unspent. This has risen from Rs 15.74 billion in the previous financial year. To tackle this issue, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has already issued preliminary notices to 272 companies for failing to meet their CSR spending requirement. Thus, state/UT wise portals would help distribute CSR spending across regions and sectors. Many have drawn parallels between the concept of CSR and Gandhiji's Trusteeship Doctrine. Explaining his principle, Gandhiji said, "Supposing I have come by a fair amount of wealth—either by way of legacy, or by means of trade and industry—I must know that all that wealth does not belong to me; what belongs to me is the right to an honourable livelihood, no better than that enjoyed by millions of others. The rest of my wealth belongs to the community and must be used for the welfare of the community". With this motivation, it's time for the government and companies to work together to channel CSR funds to places that need it the most.

The Odisha government Friday approved nine different investment proposals aggregating to Rs 1,177.41 crore.

The proposals got the state government's nod at the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) meeting chaired by Chief Secretary A P Padhi.

The investment proposals are for different sectors like sanitaryware, food processing, hospitality, electronics manufacturing and IT services that will create employment opportunities for 6,032 people, Padhi said.

Officials said Hindustan Sanitaryware Industries Limited (HSIL) has proposed to set up a 1,30,000 tonnes per annum unit to manufacture glass containers at an investment of Rs 350 crore in Cuttack. The unit will create employment opportunities for 1,200 people, they said.

The SLSWCA also approved Om Oil and Flour Mills Ltd (makers of RUCHI brand of spices) for setting up a greenfield project to manufacture spices, pasta, noodles, fruit-based beverages, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat items at Ramdaspur, Cuttack with a total investment of Rs 100 crore. The unit will provide employment opportunities to 1,560 people.

Omjay EV Limiteds proposal to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing unit at Jajpur entailing an investment of Rs 52.41 crore was also approved in the meeting. It will manufacture e-rickshaws and e-scooters with an installed capacity of 50,000 units per annum. It will create direct and indirect employment for 122 people, they said.

Hindalcos proposal to establish a coal gasification plant of 21,000 NM3 (Normal meter cube per hour) at Hirakud, Sambalpur with an investment of Rs 60 crore was also approved in the meeting. It will generate employment for 20 people.

In a boost to the states tourism sector, Mayfair Hotels and Resorts, a leading hotel chain in eastern India, received the nod to set up a golf resort at Satapada in Puri with an investment of Rs 125 crore. It will create employment opportunities for 550 people and help provide high-end accommodation facilities for tourists.

The electronics and IT sector also received a boost with two proposals getting the government's nod. The first proposal was by Star GSM Upakaran Peripherals, a Jaipur-based cellular handset and accessories company, which will invest Rs 75 crore to set up a unit to manufacture 10 lakh mobile handsets and accessories per annum such as printed circuit boards, battery, charger, power banks and others at the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster at Infovalley on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.

This will create direct and indirect jobs for 1,300 people.

The second proposal was from C-TEL Infosystems, a Hyderabad-based software company, which proposed to set up a software centre to develop Internet of Things (IoT) software at the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster in Infovalley.

The unit will come up with an investment of Rs 65 crore and create direct and indirect job opportunities for 730 people.

Two proposals from central PSUs also received approval in the meeting. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd's proposal to invest an additional Rs 250 crore to set up a lignocellulosic biomass ethanol bio-refinery plant of capacity 100 KL per day at Bargarh was approved by SLSWCA. The employment potential of the project is 200 people.

The second proposal was from HIL Ltd to set up a manufacturing unit for production of agrochemicals of capacity 10,000 MT at Chatrapur in Ganjam district with a total investment of Rs 100 crore. This will create employment for 350 people.

Apart from these, the SLSWCA also recommended two investment proposals in the steel sector entailing combined investments of Rs 3,526 crore to the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for approval.

Vedanta hopes to recover the invested sum within two years, banking on locally sourced bauxite to trim logistics costs
Metals and mining giant Vedanta Ltd has planned a Capex (capital expenditure) of $250-300 million in the next fiscal on the ramp-up of its Lanjigarh alumina refinery in Odisha.
Vedanta, in a staggered manner, has proposed to expand the capacity of the refinery to six million tonnes per annum (mtpa). The refinery's present bottlenecked capacity is two mtpa.
The company hopes to recover the invested sum within two years, banking on locally sourced bauxite to trim logistics costs.
“Every tonne of aluminium produced with the Odisha sourced bauxite which can be used in expanding refinery capacity, will give us Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) advantage of $400 per tonne. So, if you are able to cover 50 per cent or 60 per cent of our requirement, then to that extent, $200 to $250 straight away goes up in the Ebitda margin on a permanent basis because reserves will last easily for 15 years and more mines will come up”, Arun Kumar, chief financial officer of Vedanta Ltd at the company's recent results conference call.
Vedanta has a long-term linkage pact with state-run miner Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC). As per the terms of this agreement, 70 per cent of bauxite extracted by OMC from its captive Kodingamali mine would be supplied to Vedanta's Lanjigarh refinery. As the mine ramps up, Vedanta expects to source 250,000 tonnes bauxite each month. 
The first phase of the Lanjigarh refinery would see the unit scaling capacity of four mtpa. By the end of this fiscal, Vedanta expects an exit run rate of two mtpa at the refinery. Since Vedanta's cost of alumina production is significantly lower than the current import prices, the company sees value in unlocking opportunity by expanding the alumina capacity.
Vedanta is investing Rs 64.83 billion on the refinery ramp-up. The refinery scale up is expected to lessen Vedanta's dependence on imported alumina and thus, cut its aluminium making costs. A drastic reduction in alumina imports will make Vedanta's aluminium cost competitive, he reasoned. Presently, Vedanta's aluminium smelting costs are hovering around $2000 per tonne in line with the production costs of its peers- National Aluminium Company (Nalco) and Hindalco Industries. But unlike the other primary producers, Vedanta is not fed by captive bauxite mines, posing a challenge to contain its metal costs.
At the end of FY18, Vedanta emerged the biggest producer of primary aluminium with an output of 1.7 million tonnes. By FY21, the Anil Agarwal controlled Group is eyeing production of 4-4.5 million tonnes of aluminium.
To stave off vagaries of fluctuating input costs, Vedanta is aiming at upstream integration. It has proposed to install a caustic soda production unit at Dhamra with an estimated investment of Rs 65 billion. This proposal, too, has got the seal of approval from the Odisha government.
Though upstream integration, Vedanta plans to contain its alumina production cost which escalated to $358 per tonne in Q2 led by cost-push factor of ingredients like coal and caustic soda.

Hindustan Sanitary ware & Industries Ltd (HSIL) has proposed to set up an Rs 350 crore manufacturing unit for glass containers at Cuttack, state government sources said Thursday.

The plant would have a capacity of 1, 30,000 tonnes per annum and is expected to create direct and indirect employment for over 1,200 people, an official said.

Odisha's State Level Facilitation Cell has already recommended the proposal to State Level Single Window Clearance Authority for approval, the official said.

For Odisha government's Single Window for Investor Facilitation and Tracking (GO-SWIFT), a web portal for doing business in the state, it was the 500th investment proposal.

"It is encouraging to note that within a short span of one year, GO-SWIFT has received the 500th investment proposal," said industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra.

The second edition of Make in Odisha drew investments of the order of Rs 4.19 trillion, more than double the figure of Rs 2.03 trillion the state pocketed at the maiden edition in 2016
Enthused by the success of ‘I am Odisha’, the theme of Make in Odisha 2018 summit, the state government plans to extend the campaign’s run beyond the conclave to showcase Odisha’s success stories in entrepreneurship and innovation.

The ‘I am Odisha’ campaign- a first of its kind, kicked off in August in the run up to the biennial investment summit. Its thrust was on showcasing the state’s strengths- its consistently high economic growth, strides made in infrastructure, skill development and an incipient yet emerging culture of entrepreneurship. The campaign is centred on building positive vibes on sectors that have impacted Odisha's industrial ecosystem. Besides, the campaign also sought to offer a platform to crowd source success stories from Odisha and the Odia diaspora settled abroad.

“This campaign celebrated the achievements and successes of Odisha and helped enhance awareness about the state. Going by the encouraging response to the campaign, we are considering the second phase of the campaign in the coming months”, said Sanjeev Chopra, principal secretary (industries), Odisha government.
The campaign’s run on social media spanned 10 weeks from August 1 to October 15 this year. It was bombarded with about 50 million impressions and garnered 800,000 engagements on the social media space. Before its deadline, the campaign received 155 entries from Odias with success stories to share in the realms of entrepreneurship and innovation. As many as 104 entries were shortlisted, 54 of which were featured on the website designed exclusively for the campaign. The campaign in its first phase, culminated with a contest held under the aegis of ‘Make in Odisha 2018’. Three winners chosen by a jury drawn from The Indus Entrepreneurs, Silicon Valley and a clutch of Odia entrepreneurs, were feted.

The state government admits Odisha has been crippled by lack of ample awareness both inside the country and abroad. Campaigns like ‘I am Odisha’ could help turn the tide and make Odisha’s success resonate with a wider community of investors and entrepreneurs, officials believe.

“Odisha has traditionally been a state about which awareness levels were fairly low within and outside the country. As a result, the state’s strength’s and achievements were not known widely. The objective of this branding campaign was to evoke Odia pride and break the perception barrier by showcasing the strengths and success stories of people belonging to the state. We are hopeful this will encourage more Odias to chase their dreams and make the state proud”, said Chopra.

The second edition of Make in Odisha drew investments of the order of Rs 4.19 trillion, more than double the figure of Rs 2.03 trillion the state pocketed at the maiden edition in 2016. The state government has set targets to implement 75 per cent of the virgin investments within two years.

Nearly a third or 60-odd investment proposals out of 183 that the Odisha government received a month back in the run-up and during its global investor summit, Make in Odisha Conclave 2018, are expected to get approval over the next one month.

The cumulative value of these proposals stands at Rs 43,552 crore and covers sectors such as minerals, and metal, fertiliser and chemicals, and agri and food processing.

The biennial Make-in-Odisha conclave, held in November, drew investment intents of Rs 4,20,000 crore across 15 sectors, saw 34 expansion/brown-field projects and another 149 greenfield ones.

According to Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Government of Odisha, at least 80 per cent of the investment commitments received are expected to materialise.

On a comparative basis, the first edition of the Make-in-Odisha conclave drew investment commitments of Rs 230,000 crore with 67 per cent of the proposals being in approval or implementation stage.

Chopra explains that the Odisha government has consciously stayed away from “MoU signing spree”. In fact, it chose to come up with a single page (investment intention) form where companies would put up their investment proposal and other details. This was followed up by the authorities, and subsequently placed for a single- window clearance.

“As of now some 60 projects will be placed for approval. In all, at least 80 per cent of the proposals received during (the run-up and during) the summit should materialise,” he told BusinessLine during an interview.

While mining and metals segment has been the traditional mainstay for Odisha’s economy, the diversification of industrial base is critical, Chopra maintains. The focus is on downstream and value-added industry along with a cluster approach to help push local industries and also shore-up employment. The target is that by 2030 at least 50 per cent of the metals produced in the State should be value-added.

Private industrial parks
“We are looking to promote private industrial parks, too. Some players like Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) have given us proposals; while we are in discussions with Tata Steel too,” the bureaucrat said.

A sector-wise break-up of the non-mining and mineral related proposals shows fertilisers, refineries, and petrochemicals topping the charts with a 20 per cent share. Food processing accounts for 16 per cent, followed by textiles and apparels, and logistics and infrastructure with 9 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively.

Port-led development is another segment that the State is actively looking into.

Of the 183 investment intents received in the lead up to and during the Make in Odisha Conclave 2018, 64 per cent are green-field projects in non-mineral sectors having a potential to generate 230,000 jobs, government sources said.

Land acquisition
Chopra admits that land woes are a “challenge”. And, accordingly, a land bank with 125,000 acres and GIS mapping of the plots has been done. But that does not always solve all problems. Non availability of large tracts of contiguous land has often derailed major projects. In fact, Haldia Petrochem, which committed to Rs 70,000-crore worth of investments in Odisha, is said to require around 2,000 acres of contiguous land near the port area.

“To get around this problem, the Odisha government will look at direct purchase of land from owners rather than opting for acquisition,” Chopra said.

According to him, district- level committees headed by the collector, have been set up. These will facilitate the land purchase process by identifying the tract, determining the market price, facilitating interaction and so on.

Land purchase, however, will be done by the state-owned agency, Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), on behalf of investors.

Will also build a retail network of 1,500 service stations over a period of 10 years
French energy giant Total S A and Adani Group will jointly develop liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminals at Dhamra in Odisha and fuel the retail network of 1,500 service stations over 10 years.

Both the companies have signed an agreement, but terms of the deal were not disclosed. Total is the world’s second largest LNG private player.

The partnership has set a target of developing various regasification terminals, including Dhamra LNG, on the east coast of India. Most essentially it would be a big stride towards India’s vision of achieving a healthier energy mix through promotion of LNG.

Total and Adani will create a joint venture to build a retail network of 1,500 service stations over a period of 10 years, on the main roads of the country, such as highways and intercity connections. The joint venture will strive to take advantage of a market growing at 4 per cent per year driven by the development of road infrastructure and the emergence of middle class.

The planned service stations, in line with international standards, will offer Indian customers Total’s full line-up of fuels, lubricants, as well as a broad range of other products and services.

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO, Total, said: “India’s energy consumption will grow fastest among all major economies in the world over the next decade. The partnership between Total and the Adani Group illustrates our joint commitment to assisting India to diversify its energy mix and to ensure a supply of reliable, affordable and clean energy to consumers. We are thrilled to build this broad partnership with the Adani Group, benefiting from its in-depth knowledge of the Indian infrastructure and energy market, as well as its access to infrastructure through a significant footprint in several of the country’s key ports.”

JSW Steel has pledged Rs 550 billion investment on the mega steel plant and attendant infrastructure - a captive power plant, a slurry pipeline and pellet unit

Sajjan Jindal-led JSW Steel aims to begin construction activity on a 12 million tonne mega steel plant proposed in Odisha's coastal area in the next financial year. The steel plant will be built in a staggered manner. In the first phase, a blast furnace with a 5 million tonne capacity will be commissioned.

The JSW Steel project will be built at a site near Paradip abandoned by Posco India. The South Korean multinational in 2005 had announced a steel plant of 12 million tonne per annum (mtpa) with an investment of $12 billion. Later, Posco mothballed the mega steel plant and offered to give up the land handed over by the state government authorities. Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (Idco), the state-owned land agency had acquired 2700 acres of land for the Posco project. Out of this, 1700 acres was transferred to Posco India.

Odisha's industries minister Anant Das recently said the land initially acquired for the Posco project has been allotted to JSW Steel. State officials maintain 2900 acres land has been allotted for the JSW Steel project.

“We are committed to the Odisha steel plant. The project will be developed in phases. A consultant has been roped in to decide on the product mix of the plant. Work on the project will begin after we obtain all clearances”, a senior JSW Steel official said.

ALSO READ: JSW Steel has strong financials, enough headroom to expand: Seshagiri Rao

JSW Steel has pledged Rs 550 billion investment on the mega steel plant and attendant infrastructure - 900 Mw captive power plant, 32 million tonne pellet unit and a slurry pipeline to transport iron ore concentrates from Joda to the project site proposed near Paradip.

In the first phase, JSW Steel will develop 2900 acres of land. The company in its original proposal submitted to the state government, had asked for 4500 acres.

JSW Steel has formed a wholly owned subsidiary- JSW Utkal Steel Ltd to fasttrack the implementation of its 12 million tonne crude steel plant and other inter-linked projects in Odisha. While the steel plant was initially proposed to be developed by JSW Steel, another group company JSW Infrastructure got the clearance to build the slurry pipeline. The company had requested the state government to transfer all clearances and approvals to JSW Utkal Steel Ltd.

Survey Highlights:

Revival seen in the private sector investment in Q1 spilled over to Q2

Central government stepped up its projex spending

Slowdown seen in state government-sponsored projex

Odisha, the most beneficiary state of fresh investment

Andhra Pradesh attracted the highest private fresh projex

After several lull quarters, projex revival seen in the Mining sector

Mega projects in the Manufacturing sector reflect signs of revival

Steel, cement, aluminium, automobiles and electronics attracted private investment

Distressed thermal power projects face the heat of RBI guidelines

Solar project promoters in a confused state

Fresh projex from a couple of states to slow down further due to elections in December 2018

Revival in construction activities, good monsoon and increase in rural demands augurs well for projex in India during 2018-19

The 72nd Projex Investment Survey of Projects Today reveals that 2,826 new projects worth Rs 3,07,137.24 crore were announced in the second quarter of the current fiscal (Q2/FY19). Increase in the share of the Manufacturing sector in total fresh projex and successive second quarter growth in private projex are major findings of the 72nd Projex Survey.

Fresh projex (projects expenditure) increased by an impressive 47.8 percent during Q2/FY19 as against a fall of 29.6 percent observed in Q1/FY19 on quarter-on-quarter basis. In Q1/FY19, 2,698 projects worth Rs 2,07,824 crore were announced. Further, the number of mega projects (investment of Rs 1,000 crore or more) also increased from 36 in Q1/FY19 to 40 in Q2/FY19. Mega projects reflect confidence of project promoters to commit more funds in the prevailing investment environment.

Private projex growth rate impressive

The private sector announced 226 more new projects in Q2/FY19 and showed signs of sustaining its increased fresh projex activities in Q2 too. As a result, fresh projex announced in Q2/FY19 increased by a healthy 35.3 percent on top of 21.1 percent growth recorded in Q1 of the current fiscal.

In all, the sector saw announcement of fresh investment to the tune of Rs 1,23,062.9 crore in the form of 869 projects. In Q1/FY19 private promoters had announced 643 new projects entailing a total investment of Rs 90,980.6 crore. Cement, steel, electronics, automobile ancillaries and construction sectors witnessed increased fresh private investment in Q2/FY19.

The three major South Indian states, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana, were the top three states favoured by private promoters.

In all, 25 mega projects were announced by private companies in Q2/FY19. Of these, Rs 15,000 crore telephone equipment project of Reliance Industries Jio was the largest. Greenko Solar Energy’s Rs 7,000 crore solar power project in Karnataka; Gulf Petrochem’s Rs 3,600 crore bitumen refinery project in Gujarat and StreamCloud’s Rs 2,200 crore data centre in Maharashtra were the other prominent private projects announced during this quarter.

The 15.9 percent fall in fresh investment by the state-owned agencies was fairly compensated by the Central government-owned entities. As a result, the total fresh projex by the government sector increased by a healthy 57.5 percent in Q2/FY19 of the current fiscal. In Q1/19, fresh projex by the government sector had recorded a decline of 47.4 percent on Q-o-Q basis.

As against 2,052 government projects worth Rs 1,16,843.4 crore announced in Q1/FY19, around 1,957 new projects worth Rs 1,84,074.3 crore were announced in Q2/FY19. Aluminium, Petrochemicals, Railways, Roadways and Lignite Mining sectors saw large-size investment proposals from the government entities. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corpn., National Aluminium Co, NLC India and the National Highways Authority of India announced mega investment plans during the latest quarter ended September 2018.

Sectoral Growth

The Infrastructure and Manufacturing sectors were the leaders in attracting fresh projex; the Electricity and Irrigation sectors were the laggards. The Mining sector saw new investment intentions being announced by sate-owned NLC India in Tamil Nadu.

Within the Manufacturing sector the spread of fresh projects was wider than what was observed in the earlier quarters. Sub-sectors like Petrochemicals, Refinery, Steel, Aluminium, Cement, Electronics and Auto Ancillaries attracted sizeable fresh investment during Q2/FY19.

The Mining sector, mired in policy setbacks and court orders, saw announcement of 33 new projects entailing a total investment of Rs 14,343.09 crore. An Rs 10,872 crore lignite mining project of NLC India in Tamil Nadu was the largest mining project announced in Q2/FY19.

A number of thermal power projects promoters are busy in salvaging their already set-up power plants due to rising bad debts and increasing pressure from lenders and the tough stand taken by RBI on the issue of referring such projects to NCLT. Non-availability of regular fuel supply arrangements, defaults in payments by state Discoms, increased cost of borrowings, huge debt and unclear policy have not only affected the recently commissioned thermal power projects, but have also forced project promoters to go slow on projects which are currently in planning and under-execution stages. According to the latest reports, 34 thermal power projects with an estimated debt of Rs 1.77 lakh crore are lined up to be referred to NCLT.

As against 59 new solar projects worth Rs 33,087.78 crore announced in Q1/FY19, only 32 new projects entailing a total investment of Rs 11,810.12 crore were announced in the quarter ended September 2018. The project promoters of solar projects are facing two major issues — hike in import duties on equipment and continuous falling tariffs. Reflecting this, new projex announcements came down in Q2/FY19. The government should address their concerns quickly so that its goal of achieving 20 GW from the Solar sector by 2020 is fulfilled. Non-availability of transmission lines is the other factor which has affected both Solar and Wind power projects.

The infrastructure sector, comprising social and transport infrastructure, accounted for 55.11 percent of fresh projex announced during Q2/FY19. The 2,239 new projects announced in this sector, mostly owned by government entities, are expected to bring in fresh investment to the tune of Rs 1,69,268 crore, indicating a growth of 68.3 percent on Q-o-Q basis. While bulk of the increase in projex can be attributed to the Rs 56,749 crore East Corridor projects announced by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India, sectors like Hospitals, Water Supply schemes, Roadways, Commercial Complexes and Real Estate received sizeable fresh investments compared with the preceding quarter.

The national highways builder, NHAI, announced 26 new highways in Q2/FY19. Of these, the Rs 7,000 crore Ismailabad (Pehowa)-Charkhi Dadri-Narnaul Corridor Project was the largest. Post-monsoon, the highway building activities are expected to gather speed as the government intends to award 20,000 km and build 16,420 km new highways during FY19. The pace of road building has increased impressively in recent years from 12.05 km/day in 2013-14 to around 27 km/day in 2017-18. The ministry has set a rather steep goal of building 45 km/day during the current fiscal.

Real Estate and Commercial Complexes, where the private sector dominates, saw impressive increase in fresh projects investment during Q2/FY19. The sectors saw announcement of 482 new projects worth Rs 29,749.38 crore in Q2/FY19. Compared with the preceding quarters projex statistics, this indicated a growth of 27.5 percent.

Odisha on top

Odisha topped the fresh projex table by cornering around 12 percent of the total fresh projex announced in Q2/FY19. Twin projects of National Aluminium worth Rs 20,522 crore and a mega cement project of Dalmia Cement helped the state in heading the table. Andhra Pradesh with 166 new projects worth Rs 31,104 crore ranked second. It was followed by Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Together, these five states garnered around 42.8 percent of the total fresh projex emanated in Q2/FY19.

Andhra Pradesh, favourite of Private Promoters

Andhra Pradesh, traditionally one of the favourite investment destinations of the private sector, topped the table by bagging 78 new projects worth Rs 29,034 crores. Six of the 25 mega private projects (investment of Rs 1000 crore or more) are located in this state. Two other southern states – Karnataka (131 projects worth Rs 21,206 crore) and Telangana (116 projects worth Rs 15,540 crore) secured the second and third ranks.

Gujarat with 119 projects worth Rs 13,759 crore and Odisha with 38 projects worth Rs 9,029 crore completed the list of top five private-sector-friendly states. The top five states together accounted for nearly three-fourth of the fresh private investment announced in Q2/FY19.

Projex in 2018-19

The continued buoyancy seen in fresh projex announcements by the private sector in Q2/FY19 augurs well for fresh capacity addition activities in the country. Good monsoon stabilized GST regime, revival in rural demand for consumer goods and sustained government spending on highways building and other related infrastructures should see further pick-up in project investment activities in coming quarters.

Having said that, the falling rupee, rising oil prices and the fear of hike in interest rates are the challenges Indian project promoters will have to face in coming months. Further, the upcoming Assembly Elections in major states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana will see a fall in state-sponsored fresh projex announcements in coming months.

The park is billed to draw investments worth Rs 7.2 billion from 90 downstream units. The number of units will be in addition to the one installed by the anchor investor Leading stainless steel producer Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) will pump in Rs 7.7 billion via a special purpose vehicle (SPV), to develop external as well as socio-economic infrastructure on a downstream steel park in Kalinganagar, where it is the anchor investor.

The park is billed to draw investments worth Rs 7.2 billion from 90 downstream units. The number of units will be in addition to the one installed by the anchor investor.

While building trunk infrastructure such as roads will entail Rs 1.7 billion in investments, the rest will be devoted to creating social infrastructure, including accommodation for the employees.

"The park will be adjacent to our facility, sprawling on about 300 acres of land. We are awaiting the allotment of land by the state authorities," said a JSL official.

The park promises creation of direct jobs for 8,000 people. Besides, 10,000 others are projected to be indirect beneficiaries of the employment spin off.

Investments valued at Rs 7.2 billion are expected to flow in to the park as per estimates by consulting firm CBRE. The park has got in-principle approval from the Odisha government.

Development of downstream parks in metals sector augurs well for the state government as it prepares for its second showpiece investment summit, 'Make in Odisha' from November 11 to 15 this year.

Ancillary and downstream industries in metals such as steel and aluminium are listed as one of the six focus sectors by the state government in its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR), 2015.

Despite accounting for around 20 per cent of the country’s crude steel output and leading others in stainless steel production, there is scarcely any downstream steel activity in the state. Odisha is home to leading steel makers like Tata Steel, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL), Bhushan Steel and Jindal Stainless, to name a few manufacturers. Downstream steel parks are expected to provide impetus to value addition and boost steel consumption in the state. Although Odisha produces nearly 22 million tonnes of steel each year, hardly 10 per cent is consumed within the state due to lack of demand.

Opportunities for downstream and ancillary industry in Odisha exist in areas like equipment manufacturing, foundries, flat and cold rolled products, fabrication, machining and precision equipment, appliances & white goods, auto components, fasteners and kitchenware.

A report by leading consultancy KPMG has pegged the investment at Rs 12 billion on infrastructure development to develop a full-fledged ecosystem for downstream steel industries. It has suggested establishment of six downstream steel parks at Jharsuguda, Rourkela, Barbil, Paradip, Sambalpur and Dhenkanal for greater value addition of steel within the state with supplies of molten material from the mother plants. Each downstream park has the potential to create employment for approximately 5,000 people.

India's National Aluminium Co. Ltd. plans to invest 55.2 billion rupees ($756.4 million) in the eastern state of Odisha to expand capacity, a government statement said on Tuesday.

The company plans to manufacture aluminium products and a proposal has been sent to a panel headed by the state's chief minister for approval, the statement added.

Odisha has received investment proposals worth 74.16 billion rupees, mainly from Indian companies, as part of its drive to create employment, the state government said.

There is a huge business potential in Odisha and there are a lot of entrepreneurial and visionary stories to be heard and told. And, the ‘I am Odisha’ campaign for sure is creating a platform for these stories to come to the fore.

In line with the theme of Make in Odisha Conclave 2018, a global summit to showcase Odisha’s strengths as an investment destination and the myriad business opportunities for investors, the‘I am Odisha’ campaign was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik during a roadshow in Mumbai on August 8, 2018. Since its launch, the campaign by portraying interesting features about Odisha, is turning out to be an innovative way to address Odisha’s success. 

The #IamOdisha campaign is a tribute to the forces contributing to create a conducive business ecosystem in the state. It narrates and honours the stories of entrepreneurship, innovation, and drive while inspiring people to showcase their success stories and visionary approaches. This is a campaign that celebrates people from the state by highlighting stories that have contributed to the state’s success.

The campaign aims to feature prominent young entrepreneurs and innovators from the state, non-resident Odias who have made their mark in the world of business, interesting success stories of MSMEs and skill development, industrial infrastructure, large industries besides remarkable trivia about the state.  

As part of the campaign, the call to action ‘Join the Juggernaut’ has also been chalked out, inspired from the annual RathYatra festival of Lord Jagannath which symbolises an unstoppable force. Through this call to action, investors and the public at large are being encouraged to join Odisha’s march to progress. 

Odias across the world are being urged to submit their success stories or of those around them. Five selected entries will be felicitated in the Make in Odisha Conclave to be held in November, 2018. The stories need to be in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation and should outline the impact the idea or venture might have had on people.

Talking about the response to the campaign,Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Odisha said, “In the past, the state’s strength’s and achievements were not known widely outside its boundaries. This campaign aims to celebrate the achievements and success of Odisha. We thank all the people who have submitted their stories so far and urge others to share their story of entrepreneurship and innovation with us.”

#IamOdisha will conclude in a grand finale at the Make in Odisha Conclave.

In its efforts to increase international tourist footfall, the Odisha tourism department is engaging key state-based hoteliers to tap the franchise business model with flagship brands like Hilton Group, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Radisson Hotels, Taj Group and Starwood. 

Collaboration with hospitality brands of repute could help showcase Odisha as a global tourism destination.

Recently, the state tourism department impressed upon state-based hospitality majors the need to collaborate with flagship hotel brands. Odisha has a dismal record in attracting international brands and collaborations secured by a local hotelier could overcome this handicap. "The key reason why we are unable to pull high-end international tourists is the lack of enough five-star hotels. We have suggested to local hoteliers to explore collaborations with hospitality brands of international repute like Radisson or Novotel so that they can get franchisees to operate," a government official said.

Leading hotel groups in the state are open to the concept.

"Collaborating with international brands likes Marriott, Starwood, Hilton Group, Sheraton Hotels and Indian brands like Taj Group, Trident will ease the marketing process as these global players have properties worldwide. Odisha's hotels will get visibility and accessibility to the global market through franchisee model," said J K Mohanty, the chairman of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO) and the chairman & managing director of city-based Swosti Group.

SAMBALPUR:  The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) will soon develop a new industrial estate at Basantpur located on the outskirts of Sambalpur city. Divisional Head of IDCO, Sambalpur Gouri Shankar Naik said Basantpur Industrial Estate will be developed over an area of 100 acre. The demarcation for construction of the approach road to the industrial estate was completed recently. After the approach road is completed, internal roads will be constructed in the industrial estate, he said.

Naik said at least 100 industrial units could be accommodated at the new estate. Ten entrepreneurs have already applied for land to set up their units of whom two have evinced interest to set up water park. However, land will be allotted to eligible entrepreneurs only after completion of the roads, he said.To develop the industrial estate, IDCO authorities had purchased 100 acre of Government land at Basantpur on January 18, 2008 at a price of `2 crore.

Basantpur will be the second industrial estate of IDCO in Sambalpur. Earlier, the Corporation had developed Sambalpur Industrial Estate at Baraipali in the city over an area of 19.683 acre. The Sambalpur Industrial Estate houses 34 industrial units including pharmaceutical, printing and food processing industries.The strategically-located Basantpur is well connected to National Highway 6 and there is no dearth of water in the locality.

Basantpur will become a major industrial hub with at least four major projects - permanent campus of Indian Institute of Management, Sambalpur (IIM-S), Sainik  School, the second campus of Gangadhar Meher University (GMU) and Group Centre of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) - coming up in area.  Sources said work on the 1500 metre long second high level bridge from Sambalpur to Chaunrpur on Mahanadi river is almost complete. The bridge will help connect Basantpur with the Sambalpur city directly.

The Indian economy is now growing at over 7% per year despite an uncertain external environment and mixed domestic conditions. Provisional estimates indicate that the economy grew at 6.7% during fiscal year 2017-18 (FY18). But high frequency quarterly data in the same estimates also indicate that the growth cycle bottomed out in the first quarter of FY18 and growth has exceeded 7% since the third quarter of FY18. Based on these high frequency indicators, which are much sharper than the blunt annual estimates, virtually all official and private forecasts, both domestic and international, have projected that the economy will grow at over 7% during FY19. This is not as high as the 8.7% average growth recorded during FY07 to FY11 as per the recent backcasting of the new gross domestic product (GDP) series (2011-12 base) in the report of the National Statistical Commission’s Committee on Real Sector Statistics. But it marks an upturn compared to the 6.8% average growth for the period FY12 to FY18. 

This return to 7% plus growth is quite remarkable given the mixed growth environment. Despite robust growth in the US and other advanced economies, the external outlook remains grim with gradual monetary tightening in these countries, elevated oil prices, and the Donald Trump-triggered tariff war. Internally, the price situation is still benign. But rainfall is still in deficit in large parts of the economy, though the situation is improving. The economy has also not yet fully recovered from the shocks of demonetization and the goods and services tax (GST), though their short-term growth effects seem to be fading.

That growth has remained high despite this mixed environment has much to do with the fact that a large part of the economy, particularly relating to agriculture and the public services segment, is supply-driven and independent of demand-side market sentiments.

Though these supply-side drivers reappear on the demand side because of the circular flow of income, there are clearly limits to such supply-driven growth, as opposed to productivity or demand-driven growth. For the growth prospects of what Indira Rajaraman has called the “core economy” (Mint, 6 July)—the economy excluding agriculture and public services—investment is perhaps the single most important driver, especially when the export outlook is bleak.

The quarterly data cited earlier indicates that along with overall growth, the growth of real investment or gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) also bottomed out in the first quarter of FY18 and has risen since then. But the recovery remains weak and the investment rate (GFCF/GDP) remains well below the peak rate of 34.3% achieved in FY12. Revival of the private investment cycle is key in this context as private investment is the main component of real capital formation.

Macroeconomic factors like the aggregate fiscal and monetary policy stance are clearly critical for revival of the private investment cycle. So are structural policy reforms such as the GST and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), though the recent reversal of reforms in trade and tariff policy has been disappointing. Apart from strengthening indirect tax compliance, GST is unifying India into a vast common market. Similarly, the IBC should help break the banking sector gridlock, which is perhaps the most important macro-level roadblock to reviving the private investment cycle.

Apart from these macro or countrywide factors, investment conditions in individual states are also critical for private investment. These state-specific conditions on the ground ultimately determine the success or failure of investment projects and, therefore, affect aggregate trends. They also determine the geography of growth, whether growth is likely to converge or diverge across states going forward. In this context, the NCAER State Investment Potential Index (N-SIPI) report recently released by the National Council of Applied Economic Research is quite revealing. The N-SIPI has ranked 20 major states and the Union territory of Delhi for their investment potential based on indicators for six major pillars—land, labour, infrastructure, economic climate, political stability and governance. Apart from other information, the N-SIPI also incorporates the perceptions of entrepreneurs, based on a survey of 1,049 industrial establishments.

The land pillar is based on factors such as land availability, land policy, transaction efficiency, and price. The six states ranked as the best performers according to this pillar are, respectively, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. The states ranked as the worst performers on this count are Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Uttarakhand.

The availability of an educated and appropriately skilled workforce and competitive wages are central to the labour pillar. Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra are ranked as the best performers on this count, while Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand are ranked at the bottom. Interestingly, there is an inverse relationship between the number of technically educated people in a state and perceptions about the availability of skilled labour, indicating that the kind of technical education being provided is inappropriate.

The infrastructure pillar includes road density, road and rail connectivity, and availability of power relative to demand. It also includes availability of credit, which is unusual. In terms of this pillar, Delhi, Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are ranked at the top. Surprisingly, Gujarat which has generally been known for its good infrastructure, is no longer among the top 6 states. This does not mean that infrastructure in Gujarat has deteriorated but that some of the other states have moved ahead faster since the rankings are relative.

The economic climate pillar combines a broad spectrum of parameters like government policy, market demand, resource endowments as well as levels of per capita income. There are also feedback loops between the growth rate and the investment potential of a state. On the other hand, high dynamism and concentration of industries can generate negative externalities of congestion, including high rental values and wages, overload on the infrastructure, and pollution. Incorporating all these factors, the economic climate pillar ranks Delhi, Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh as the top 6 states, while Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Bihar are ranked at the bottom.

The governance and political stability pillar includes components like the maintenance of law and order, crime, corruption, efficiency of government processes and political equity as reflected in the proportion of legislators in assemblies with criminal records. Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are ranked as the top 6 by this pillar, while Telangana, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh are placed at the bottom.

Pulling together the rankings by all the pillars, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Kerala are ranked as the top 6 in that order. Bihar, Jharkhand, and Assam are placed at the bottom along with Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

Questions can be raised about specific methods of compiling individual indicators or about the nature of the data. However, some differences notwithstanding, the classification of best- and worst-performing states is consistent with other ranking exercises relating to the business environment in states, such as the “Ease of Doing Business” rankings of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. It is also broadly consistent with our own earlier exercise that assessed the performance of states through a different lens, namely their service delivery performance (Mundle, Choudhury, Sikdar, “The Governance Performance of States”, Economic & Political Weekly, 3 September 2016). This robustness across different exercises suggests that the N-SIPI rankings are reasonably objective.

There is some churn in the rankings compared to earlier N-SIPI rounds, with some states moving up or down in the rankings. But the one change that stands out in this round is the dramatic rank improvement of West Bengal. It has moved up from the bottom of the league tables to 10th position in overall ranking. In the perception survey, it has moved up even further to third position, just behind Gujarat and Haryana.

Another important takeaway is the variation in performance across pillars for individual states. Telangana, for instance, is among the best performers in terms of the land pillar and also the economic climate pillar but among the worst performers for the governance and political stability pillar. Similarly, Gujarat is the third-best performer in overall ranking after Delhi and Tamil Nadu, but it is no longer among the top performers for the infrastructure pillar, or for the land and labour pillars.

On policy issues cutting across states, the survey results suggest that ground realities are quite different from prevailing presumptions about the key constraints. Over 86% of respondents said they had no problem acquiring land. Similarly, over 68% of respondents reported no problem in the availability of skilled labour. On the transition to GST, only 15% of respondents reported it was a severe problem against 56% who reported it was no problem. Over 83% reported that following GST their business prospects were either better (40%) or the same (43%).

These positive perceptions of the surveyed entrepreneurs are consistent with the macroeconomic assessment presented earlier that though the investment rate is still below its past peak, the investment and growth cycles are beginning to revive. However, the N-SIPI report confirms an emerging pattern of divergence, with some states being left behind, which is a cause for serious concern.

Sudipto Mundle is emeritus professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy and was a member of the Fourteenth Finance Commission.

BHUBANESWAR:  Bhubaneswar has been ranked 18th most livable city in the country by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on its Ease of Living index released on Monday. But it stood at rank one in the category of public open spaces. The Capital bagged 11th position in Education, 25th in governance, 19th in identity and culture, 17th in safety and security, 18th in economy and employment, 10th in transportation and mobility, 33rd in solid waste management and 40th in power supply. 

Housing, health, land use, power supply, waste-water management and reduced pollution are some of the fields where its rank is poor. It has been ranked 86th in Housing and Inclusiveness category and 59th in Health category.However, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said if the list of cities having a population of five lakh to one million is compared, Bhubaneswar, which has a population of 8.85 lakh, stands at number four among the best livable cities after Chandigarh, Truchirapalli and Amravati on the index. 

As per the index, Rourkela stood at 87th position while no other city from the State made it to the list. Pune emerged topper while Navi Mumbai secured second position and Greater Mumbai third position. Thane is the fourth Maharashtra city that made it to the top 10. The national capital New Delhi has been ranked lowly at 65 even as Chennai stood at 14. The Ease of Living Index was released by Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday. The survey, based on governance, social institutions, economic and physical infrastructure parameters, was conducted in 111 cities across the country.

Aluminium major Nalco today laid the foundation stone to set up a â‚¹ 131-crore alloy wire rod manufacturing facility to address the rising demand of the power sector, particularly in power transmission.

The foundation stone for the new facility, being set up at Nalco’s smelter plant at Angul, was laid by Union Mines Secretary Anil Mukim through video conferencing at a function held here.

“The upcoming alloy wire rod manufacturing facility, to be set up at a cost of about Rs 131 crore, will have an installed capacity of 40,000 TPY (Alloy Grade) /60,000 TPY (EC Grade),” said an official of the Navaratna firm.

Congratulating Nalco for its performance in the first quarter of this fiscal, Mukim said the aluminium major has become the pride of India in non-ferrous sector and the cost focus of management has made Nalco recognised as the lowest cost producer of alumina in the world.

He said the result orientation and value creation by Nalco management was also highly impressive.

Mukim was referring to Nalco clocking a profit after tax of â‚¹ 687 crore in the first quarter against â‚¹ 257 crore in Q4 of previous year, registering a growth of 167 per cent .

As compared to the corresponding quarter of last year, the growth in net profit has jumped by a whopping 433 per cent, from â‚¹ 129 crore to â‚¹ 687 crore. Similarly, the company has recorded an increase of 10.74 per cent and 8.85 per cent in alumina and aluminium production respectively in the Q1 period of 2018-19.

Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD of Nalco said the per capita aluminium consumption in India is only 2.2 kg against a world average of 7 kg and 20 kg in China.

“Our country is set to witness a quantum jump in aluminium consumption in next 2 to 3 years,” he said.

Besides, various initiatives like Smart cities, bullet trains, power to every household, energy efficient automobile, aluminium wagons would further give boost to consumption of aluminium in the country from existing level of 3.2 million tonnes per annum to 8 million tonnes per annum, said Chand.

Ardent Steel Limited (ASL), a HIRA Group Company plans to set up a greenfield integrated steel plant at at Phuljhar village in Banspal block of Keonjharat Odisha, where company already has a pelletisation plant. New plant will build in two phases. An investment of INR 4013 crore earmarked for new plant.

In the first phase, company will go for DRI, Captive Power Plant and Pipeline project. Capacity of proposed DRI will be 0.6 MTPA. To run this plant company needs 100 MW power. But it will seek approval for 125 MW capacities.

In the second phase, company plans to add Blast Furnace, SMS, Rolling Mill and Sinter Plant. Proposed capacity of Blast Furnace will be 0.6 MTPA.

While discussing about the new project with SteelMint, Dr Subhasis Das, Director, ASL said that, “We are planning for public hearing very soon. We already deposited 10% amount with IDCO for land acquisition purpose. They have allotted us 433 acres of land which is adjacent to our pelletisation plant.”

“If everything going according to plan then by September of next year we will start production from the new plant. That is our plan. We plan to make the integrated steel plant fully operational within next two years” Dr. Das added.

To feed the new plant, ASL plans to secure a captive mines. Dr. Das said that, “ We will going to participate in the upcoming mineral block auction.”

ASL also plans to increase the Production capacity of Pelletisation Plant to 6,90,000 ton per annum. By Next month (September) expansion of Pelletisation Plant will be completed. Company needs no additional land for this expansion. Only one filter added to the existing set up.

Dr. Das said “For Pelletisation Plant expansion, we will go EC presentation very soon. We will have to approach MoEF of Government of India for EC clearance and Sound Clearance.”

Talking about pellet export He said , “Our two main export market is China and Dubai. We export most of our produced pellet to China. Only one container we sent for Emirates Steel which is around 55,000 tonne.

Our 90% ore export is to China. As we are expanding our Pellet production capacity, we want to sell some ore in domestic market. For this month, we have a booking form Tata Steel and Bhusan Steel. They will take the entire pellet to be be produced at the plant this month.” He added.

ASL is a subsidiary of Godawari Power and Ispat Limited (GPIL), Raipur. GPIL has 75% shareholding in ASL. GPIL is a HIRA group company.

National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) has firmed up plans to set up a joint venture with Ontario (Canada)-based Almex for the production of automotive-grade aluminium. The project, estimated to cost Rs 25 billion, will come up at the downstream aluminium park at Angul (Odisha) in the vicinity of Nalco’s aluminium smelting unit.

The Nalco-Almex JV unit would be spread across 50 acres at the park. The entire aluminium park, in which Nalco and state government-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) are joint equity partners, has been developed on 240 acres of land.

The project between Nalco and Almex is envisaged to have an annual production capacity of 60,000 tonnes. Nalco, on its part, has committed supply of 50,000 tonnes a year of molten aluminium to downstream companies that chose to install their units at the park. The navratna company has also offered to lend its brand name to products made within the park. To position the park as attractive and globally competitive for investors, Nalco has announced pricing discounts on sale of molten aluminium and ingots to downstream buyers.

The aluminium major is providing a pricing discount of Rs 5,000 a tonne on aluminium ingots and Rs 4,000 a tonne on molten metal. Since land cost was seen as a deterrent to potential investors, Idco has announced that it has brought down the price to Rs five million per acre from Rs six million. The concession on land price, however, is valid till June 30 this year. Given the array of incentives, downstream units can expect to save Rs 10,000 a tonne on production cost.

The aluminium park has bagged one overseas investment from Bahrain-based Midal Cables. The company has proposed a rod and wire conductor unit at the park at an investment of about Rs 3.6 billion, with an annual capacity of 60,000 tonnes. Grid Conductors Ltd, a subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), has proposed to establish an aluminium and aluminium alloy conductor unit in Odisha, committing an investment of Rs 1.3 billion.

There is a proposal by Gupta Power Infrastructure Ltd to set up a facility for HT (high-tension) cables within the aluminium park at a cost of Rs 1.9 billion.

By beating London and New York, Singapore has emerged top in a global smart city performance ranking in 2017, according to a study by market researcher Juniper Research.

The Global Smart City Performance Index - sponsored by global technology player Intel, - ranks the top 20 global smart cities in terms of the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and connected services across four key areas: mobility, healthcare, public safety and productivity.

Juniper found from the study that smart cities have the potential to save individuals about 125 hours every year.  

Said Windsor Holden, Juniper Research's head of forecasting and consultancy: "We can't overlook the importance of the real human benefits that smart cities have. Connected communities, municipal services and processes have a powerful impact on a citizen's quality of life."

Of the cities surveyed, Singapore not only ranked as the top "smart city" but also came out tops in all of the key areas measured.

The study noted that Singapore's Smart Nation initiative and its position as a city-state make the country unique in its ability to execute its smart city vision.

With regard to mobility, the study revealed that the use of IoT-enabled infrastructure in Singapore, such as applied smart and connected traffic solutions used by the Land Transport Authority, may save drivers up to 60 hours a year.

San Francisco and London were ranked second and third in this area for their respective efforts to use technology solutions to curb mobility-related issues such as traffic congestion.

In healthcare, the study found that smart cities with connected digital health services, such as wearable apps that monitor blood pressure, can save individuals close to 10 hours a year. "Singapore and Seoul were notable in terms of their focus on addressing healthcare service provision for elderly citizens through a range of technologies, including digital service platforms as well as remote monitoring devices," Juniper said.

Improvements in public safety through the use of IoT technologies may result in time saved for individuals residing in cities, according to the study. Juniper found that implementing such technology, for instance Singapore's trial and use of smart video surveillance, can result in substantial time benefits of nearly 35 hours per year for citizens.

Productivity gains from encouraging digital innovation to address urban planning challenges, and the ability for citizens to access digital services and city information, were deemed to be critical in improving citizens' productivity in the study.

Singapore, London and Chicago were found to be leaders in this area, each with large open data stores alongside strategies to encourage private innovation, Juniper noted.

Said Sameer Sharma, Intel's global general manager of Smart Cities IoT solutions: "Cities are engines of economic activity, and we as an industry need to make them more resilient and responsive.

Partnerships between city planners, government officials, private companies, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), software developers and startups are creating smart city ecosystems that will empower citizens while reducing our carbon footprint."

The JSPL-owned biggest integrated steel plant of Odisha was made operational today with the commissioning of the country’s largest blast furnace. Inaugurating the state of the art six mtpa steel plant of JSPL, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said it would provide direct employment to around 30,000 people and indirect jobs to many others.

Patnaik said, “as India looks to reach steel manufacturing capacity of 300 million tons by 2030, I am proud to note that more than 20 per cent of the country’s steel shall continue to be produced from our state.”

Stating that the state government is committed to provide all support to the steel industry, he said “we have added more than 16 mtpa steel making capacity in the state since 2005.”

“My government’s vision is to develop Angul as an economically vibrant, high-ended engineering and manufacturing hub with world-class living and working environment,” Patnaik said. He said the state government was creating an industrial eco-system for enhanced value addition in Odisha. “My vision is to create 30 lakh additional employment opportunities by 2025 and bring prosperity for the people of the state. JSPL’s 6mtpa steel plant is yet another step towards realising that vision.”

JSPL Chairman Naveen Jindal said the plant was set up at an investment of about Rs. 33,000 crore and it would enable the company to overcome its loss in the aftermath of the coal block cancellation. He said Jindal Steel & Power Limited would start earning and play significant role in the development of the state. Later he told reporters that production of JSPL would increase substantially with commissioning of the new blast furnace at Angul and the effort would be to make the company debt-free in the next about five years.

Stating that coal block cancellation had badly affected the operations and the company, he said JSPL had to face a tough time during the last three years incurring a loss of Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 8,000 crore.

With production from the new plant, the company would start repaying debts as there was good demand for steel and the government had also taken initiatives to strengthen infrastructure, Jindal said. Stating that interest payment for the company was to the tune of Rs. 200 crore per month, he said banks were cooperative and clearance of debts would be easier now.

Steel production at Angul would be around 1.5 lakh tonnes next month, 2 lakh tonnes in July and 3 lakh tonnes per month from October this year, he said adding from March, 2018 the production would touch 4 lakh tonnnes per month. The plant with its 4,554 cubic meter blast furnace will make Odisha the fourth largest steel maker in the country. With this, JSPL also becomes the first company to complete this mega steel project as per its commitment in the memorandum of understanding with the government of Odisha.

The company had installed two mtpa steel making capacity at its Angul steel complex in 2015 with Coal Gasification — DRI route, which is being used for the first time in the world. Later it further added four mtpa steel making capacity.

The Angul steel complex has also four mtpa sinter plant, two mtpa coke oven, three mtpa steel melting shop, 1.2 mtpa plate mill, 1.4 mtpa bar mill and a 810 mw captive power plant. In 2005, JSPL signed an MoU with the Odisha government to build the mega steel plant. JSPL’s overall capacity of steel production has been enhanced to 10.75 mtpa, company sources said.

IT services & outsourcing company Tech Mahindra has announced its plan to set up its third campus in Odisha in 2018.

C P Gurnani, managing director and chief executive officer of Tech Mahindra met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and said work on the third campus would commence in 2018. Presently, the IT firm has started work on its second campus. Gurnani also said Tech Mahindra would assist the state government in the efforts made to promote start-ups in the state.

Earlier, Tech Mahindra had announced to scale up headcount at its Bhubaneswar centre to 5,000. The headcount would be a mix of IT and ITes (IT enabled services). The company also had an intent to set up a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) centre in the city. Tech Mahindra’s existing infrastructure in Bhubaneswar can house about 3,000 employees. Its campus is spread over six acres of land.

The IT company has plans to invest Rs 500 crore on its Odisha centre over the next five years.

Posco India, too had planned to establish a captive port at the Jatadhari river mouth for its mega steel plant. With Posco aborting its 12-million-tonne plant in Odisha, JSW Infrastructure is keen to set up a commercial port at the site. A JSW spokesperson, however, said, “As of now, we are not planning a commercial port in Odisha.”

Business Standard has reviewed the papers the company submitted to the Odisha government. "The proposed site is located outside the port limits of the Paradip port, which is a major port, and about 32 km away from the proposed Astaranga port,” JSW Steel said in its revised proposal to the Investment Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol). “It is accordingly requested that the Jatadhari mouth site may be given to JSW Infrastructure Ltd on long-term concession for establishing and operating a commercial port at the extant terms and conditions.” IPICOL is Odisha government's one-stop agency for investment promotion and facilitation.

JSW Infrastructure has proposed to build the port on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOST) basis on a long-term lease. As the port is proposed to be developed as a commercial one, no wharfage would be applicable. The government revenue accruals would be based on revenue sharing, the company said. The capacity of the proposed port and its investment size is not known. 

JSW Group has committed a combined investment of Rs 55,000 crore on its portfolio of projects in Odisha — including a 10-million tonne integrated steel plant, a port in Jagatsinghpur district and a slurry pipeline from Koira to Paradip.

JSW has earlier chosen the site originally allocated for Posco India’s plant as the location for its integrated steel plant. Accordingly, JSW Steel has sought transfer of all facilities such as land, water, power, railway and financial incentives extended to the Posco project. In the revised project plan, JSW Steel intends to build a 32-million-tonne-per-annum (mtpa) pellet plant, instead of an eight-mtpa planned earlier, for its own consumption as well as exports.

For its integrated steel mill, JSW Steel has asked for 2,700 acres already been acquired for the Posco project. The company has also asked for around 150 acres for a township and 90 acres for a rehabilitation & resettlement (R&R) colony. JSW Steel has urged the state government to transfer all the land parcels at the rate of Rs 4 lakh an acre.

Put this down to connectivity. After Bangladesh, Odisha’s mangoes are soon expected to find a market in Southeast Asia — thanks to a new flight from Biju Patnaik International Airport here.

Malaysian low-cost airline AirAsia started its first international flight from the city airport to Kuala Lumpur on April 26 this year — and that has prompted the state government to explore the possibility of mango exports to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.

“We are preparing a feasibility study to export mangoes to Southeast Asia. The Horticulture Department has already approached the Odisha Agricultural Marketing Board (OAMB) and other stakeholders, including some e-marketing agencies,” Sankarsan Rout, Assistant Director, Horticulture, told IANS. He said they would help farmers’ cooperatives to sell their products to other parts of the country as well as overseas.

“The mangoes of Odisha meet all quality parameters for exports. What we need to do is to tap the market. The government is in talks with various stakeholders for exporting the fruit,” Barada Prasanna Choudhury, marketing consultant to OAMB, told IANS.

To facilitate the global and domestic trading of mangoes, the Horticulture Department has set up Dhenkanal Fruits & Vegetables Marketing Co. Ltd. with processing and packaging facilities. The state government is also likely to rope in online trading platform NCDEX E-Marketing Ltd. (NEML) for marketing the mangoes, sources said. On the home front, north India and Mumbai have long been a destination for Odisha’s mangoes.

Odisha produces nearly 800,000 tonnes of mangoes every year — making it the sixth-largest mango-growing state in India, which accounts for over 60 per cent of global production. Of the mangoes produced in Odisha, high-end varieties like Amrapalli, Dussehri, Mallika, Keshari and Langada account for some 40 per cent.

Dhenkanal, Angul, Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Boudh are the districts where a bulk of the mangoes are grown. The varieties that dominate the Indian market are Baiganpalli, Dussehri, Amrapalli, Kesari Totapuri, Latsundari, Mallika, Subarnarekha, Himasagar, Neelum and Chausa. Mangoes from India are popular in the Middle East, the Far East, the United States and European countries. The export volumes are expected to rise as new countires like South Korea and Iran have allowed the import of Indian mangoes.

According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), India’s mango exports are likely to surpass last year’s level and touch the 50,000 tonne mark in the ongoing fiscal, buoyed by strong demand and supply of export- quality fruit.

Odisha government today decided to impart entrepreneurship training to at least 10,000 youths during the current financial year to give a boost to the industries. A high level meeting chaired by MSME minister Prafulla Samal decided that the training will be organized by the Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, Bhubaneswar, MSME-DI, Cuttack, District Industry centres and Coir Board. In addition to it online learning and development programme of six weeks duration will be given to the youths free of cost through the start up Odisha portal.

The meeting also decided to organize a stake holders meet involving therepresentatives of central PSUs,major state PSUs, existing ancillaries, industries and vendors shortly to boost the development of ancillary and downstream industries. The meeting directed the Director of Industries to convene plant level advisory committee meeting of all the Central PSUs in next four months. The DICs were asked to initiate steps for the linkage of Udyog Adhar memorandum with Aadhar number of respective entrepreneurs. Official sources said the MSME department has already conducted six Udyog Samsya Samadhan Sibirs to resolve the problems of MSME entrepreneurs.

Sources said the government plans to organize similar camps in the remaining districts during the current year. Representatives of IDCO, RBI, Odisha Pollution Control Board, Commercial Banks and the representatives of concerned electricity utility companies would be invited to the camps.UNI BD-DP KK

Odisha Industries minister Niranjan Pujari today expressed optimism that ground breaking ceremony of 15 industrial projects will be held in next four months. “Review revealed that more than 15 industrial projects were expected to go for ground breaking ceremony in coming three to four months,” Pujari said after holding the second inter-ministerial committee meeting to review the progress of projects.

The meeting reviewed the progress of all the 124 investment intents received during the Investors’ Meet held at Mumbai, Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar last year. The state had received investment intent of Rs 3,64,864 crore during these meets.

Out of these 124 intent proposals, so far 62 project proposals have progressed. This is about 50 per cent of the intents received by the state. “This is one of the highest rates of conversion of intents into proposals amongst all states in the country,” chief secretary A P Padhi said. Out of 62 proposals, 49 have already been cleared by the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority in less than four month period.

Industries secretary Sanjeeb Chopra said the state received significant investment in sectors such as food processing, petro chemicals, chemicals and plastics, infrastructure & logistics, renewable energy, tourism and health care.

The Committee is focused on grounding and implementation of these projects in a time bound manner, Pujari said while highlighting the importance for setting up of world-class industrial infrastructure facilities for the investors in the state. He also called upon the department to ensure implementation of progressive reforms to make it further easy for businesses to set up and operate in the state.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday unveiled the logo and mascot of the Asian Athletics Championships scheduled here at Kalinga Stadium from July 6 to 9 in presence of athletic legends like P T Usha and Anju Bobby George.

While the logo depicts an athlete crossing the finishing line with historical tourist attractions of Odisha in the backdrop, the mascot is named OLLY that represents the famous Olive Ridley sea turtle. Beaches of Odisha are a prime nesting site for these endangered sea turtles.

Naveen also formally announced Bhubaneswar as the host for the international sports event. More than 700 athletes from nearly 45 countries would participate in 42 sports events during the four-day sports extravaganza.

"Bhubaneswar has emerged as a sought-after destination for international competitions. I am sure that the athletic championship will provide substantial exposure to our boys and girls who will be watching world champions in action," Naveen said on the occasion.

Naveen said Kalinga Stadium is being transformed into a world-class infrastructure facility for hosting international events as per the requirements of International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). "All necessary steps are being taken to ensure a pleasant experience for the players, officials and visitors," Naveen said.

The state government would spend nearly Rs 43 crore for preparation of the grand event.

The State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) on Saturday approved investment proposals worth Rs 9,468.89 crore in five different sectors with potential to create employment for 3,204 people.

The SLSWCA accorded approval to the nine proposals in food processing, plastics, renewable energy and steel sectors worth Rs 1,770.43 crore. The NTPC's proposal for expansion of its thermal power plant capacity of Talcher Thermal Power Station worth investment of Rs 7698.46 crore was referred to the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) headed by the Chief Minister.

The approved projects have a potential of creating 3200 additional jobs in the State, Chief Secretary AP Padhi said after the meeting. The major proposals which got SLSWCA's nod included Rs 737 crore investment by Ultratech Cement Limited and Rs 232.40 crore steel project of Balasore Alloys Limited. Three projects in renewable energy sector were approved by the single window authority. 

The projects include Rs 241 crore investment by Sakura Premier Solar Private Limited, Rs 57.17 crore proposal of Jyoti Solar Solutions Private Limited and Rs 220 crore project by Topaz Solar Pvt Limited.

In the food processing sector, Coastal Corporation Limited proposed an investment of Rs 51 crore,  Indo-Nissin Foods Private Ltd (Rs 50.44 crore), Oricon Enterprises Ltd (plastics for food processing Rs 120 crore) and Jay Bharat Species Pvt Ltd (Rs 61.42 crore). Of the four projects in the food processing and allied sectors, Indo Nissin Foods Private Limited promoted by Japan-based Nissin Food Holdings and Mitstubishi Corporation has proposed to invest another Rs 50 crore to expand its manufacturing facility at Khurda, Padhi said. 

The State has already promulgated a new Food Processing Policy 2016, which provides competitive incentives and facilitating frame work for investment in the sector. Food processing has been identified as one of the six focus sectors by the Government and the State expects to attract Rs 19,800 crore of investment in the sector as per the Vision 2025 for industrial development.

"At least 54 projects with investment of Rs 1,11, 500 crore and employment potential of more than 75,700 jobs have been approved by the SLSWCA since the Make-In-Odisha Conclave held in December, 2016," the Chief Secretary said

After the central government decided to set up petroleum, chemicals and petrochemical investment region (PCPIR) at Paradip covering an area of 284.15 square km in Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapada districts, Odisha has emerged as a hot destination for petrochemical industries. Experts attending a two-day seminar organised by the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) said this here on Thursday.

They said Odisha has become an investment paradise in the mineral sector. It has a lot of potential in the chemicals and petrochemicals sector. Indian Oil Corporation Limited's (IOCL) refinery, PCPIR, port and other chemical industries at Paradip and deep port at Dhamra form the base for a chain of downstream activities that include production, handling and end use of host of chemicals and petrochemicals.

Experts like Prof MM Sharma, noted chemical engineer and former director of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, suggested the industrial houses to manufacture new products from petrochemicals.

A N Jha, executive director (petrochemicals), IOCL, said several industries are expected to come to PCPIR at Paradip for setting up of their industries. The investment region will be a boon for the industries

The first direct flight to an international destination took off from Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar today marking the beginning of a new era in civil aviation in this part of the world.

The Air Asia flight was scheduled to depart from Bhubaneswar at 11:55PM to Kuala Lumpur.  In the preliminary phase, the flight will operate 4 times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As a part of the promotional strategy and to attract flyers, the first flight arrived here with a group of journalists from Malaysia. A postage stamp to commemorate the occasion was also released.

Earlier during the day, the High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, Datuk Hidayat Abdul Hamid met the CM Naveen Patnaik and held bilateral discussions on tourism, trade and education.

“We will have more businessmen come here and they will identify the specific areas. We are also interested in IT as Odisha is developing smart cities,” said Hamid. “It is a very good opportunity and occasion for the state of Odisha also. It is a matter of great pride for the State. It is a very good move for the benefit of the tourism of the State,” said AirAsia’s regional manager, Salim Choudhary.

Paradip Port Trust (PPT) has handled an all-time high cargo throughput of 88.95 million tonnes (mt) in 2016-17, up 16.46 per cent year-on-year over FY16. The cargo volume handled by Paradip port is the second highest among all major ports in the country after Kandla.

The port’s operating revenue showed a growth of 15 per cent in last financial year whilst operating ratio improved to 54 per cent. The surge in the port’s cargo was driven by the rebound in iron ore traffic and also POL cargo comprising crude oil, LPG and lubricants.

For the first time, PPT handled 17,495 tonne of aviation turbine fuel (ATF). Steel cargo shipped through the Paradip port surged by 588 per cent in 2016-17 at 0.76 million tonne compared to 0.11 million tonne in the year-ago financial year. PPT has rationalised the labour levy of steel cargo which resulted in handing off a record cargo of 0.14 million tonne of hot rolled (HR) coils loaded on March 23 this year.

Again, for the first time, 11,951 tonnes of pet coke produced in the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) refinery, Paradip was shipped to Orient Cement Ltd through coastal shipment on February 28, 2017. Coastal trade between the port and Bangladesh also commenced in December 2016. PPT handled its maiden shipment of thermal coal from Eastern Coalfields Ltd (Asansol) and Central Coalfields Ltd (Dhanbad).

During FY17, the port performance parameter-berth-day output improved to 23,139 tonne with 12.24 per cent growth and the berth occupancy is 66 per cent as against 67 per cent of the previous year despite handling of 16.46 per cent more cargo to lead the port at par with the international standards. A record quantity of 8.34 mt of cargo handled during March 2017, surpassing the previous record of 8.06 mt handled during July- 2016.

The port has taken up a host of projects to increase the capacity from existing 126.94 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 325 mtpa by 2025. Among the ongoing projects of the Paradip port include the development of a multi-purpose berth to handle clean cargo and containers at an estimated cost of Rs 430.78 crore.

This project is expected to be operational in December 2018. A deep draught coal berth, with a capacity to handle 10 mtpa, is also being built on BOT (build, own and transfer) basis at a cost of Rs 655.56 crore. A deep draught iron ore berth also planned on BOT basis, at a cost of Rs 740.19 crore and is expected to be operational in March 2019.

By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 26 2017 : JSW Steel Limited of Jindal Group, a leading manufacturer of integrated steel now has proposed to set up a mega steel project of 10 million tonne capacity with a captive power plant of 900 MW capacity with an investment of Rs 50,000 crore in Jagatsinghpur district. Ironically, the investment proposal follows the withdrawal Korean steel major Posco from its mega steel project in the district. Posco last week wote a letter to the state government requesting to take over about 1,700 acres of land near Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district. The State level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) on Saturday recommended two project proposals of JSW Group including the steel project to the high-level clearance authority (HLCA) headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. An industrial infrastructure investment proposal of Rs 3,700 crore by JSW Infrastructure, another subsidiary of JSW Group, was also referred to the HLCA. While the steel project has employment potential for 30,000 people, the infrastructure project proposed to create employment opportunities for 350 people. The SLSWCA meeting chaired by Chief Secretary A P Padhi cleared two project proposals worth Rs 152 crore and recommended seven other projects to the HLCA. The single window authority has also recommended an investment proposal of Rs 4,252 crore of Bhusan Power and Steel in downstream sector. The other proposals recommended to the HLCA include OCL India’s investment plan of Rs 1,995 crore in cement manufacturing and Rs 1,750 crore investment proposal of Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited in chemicals and petrochemicals. The nine projects have the potential to create employment opportunities for about 39,545 people.

With Swedish luxury car maker evaluating possibilities of setting up its assembly plant in India, Odisha has thrown its hat in the ring. The state government has invited Volvo Auto India to explore Odisha as a destination for its assembling facility by dangling an array of incentives the state offers.

"We are given to understand that Volvo Auto India is exploring to set up an assembly unit in India. We invite you to consider setting up the unit in Odisha. The state's existing Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) provides very competitive incentives for automobile manufacturers. In addition, a new dedicated policy for auto and auto components sector is on the anvil which will ensure unmatched competitive advantage for companies setting up units in the state", Sanjeev Chopra, Odisha industries secretary stated in a letter to Tom Von Bonsdorff, managing director, Volvo Auto India Ltd.

Volvo is looking for an assembly plant in the country as it was losing heavily by forking out steep import duties for its completely built units. India's luxury car market, in volume terms, is estimated at 37,000 units per annum with Volvo accounting for five per cent share.

Odisha offers a very conducive ecosystem for automobile manufacturers. The state has 54 per cent of the country's aluminium smelting facility. An aluminium park is being developed jointly by National Aluminium Company (Nalco) jointly with the state-owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) at Angul wherein Nalco has committed molten aluminium supplies of 0.1 million tonne each year for the downstream units. 

Besides this, Odisha accounts for 21 per cent of the crude steel produced in the country and is the biggest producer of stainless steel. The state offers other inherent advantages like a coastline of 480 km providing a gateway to the ASEAN region, one of the lowest labour wage rates, electricity charges and water supply tariff.

On the policy front, the state has unveiled its latest edition of IPR, committing to develop auto parks. It boasts of a disruptive policy intervention in the form of a dedicated policy for automobiles and auto components manufacturing. The draft of the policy has been prepared by OMEGA Tast, a consultant assisted by the UK-based donor agency Department for International Development (DFID). The state government is giving final touches to this policy that not only compares favourably with competing states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat but also goes a step ahead on some counts.

The draft policy envisages a concession of up to 50 per cent on land to be made available to auto component manufacturers. On the power subsidy front, it talks of electricity duty waiver for 10 years. Among the other fiscal incentives delineated in the policy include 100 per cent exemption on entry tax on plant, machinery, raw materials and other inputs. It also talks about reimbursement of value added tax (VAT) paid for a period of 20 years, limited to 200 per cent of fixed capital investment.

The draft policy has proposed a capital grant of up to 25 per cent of fixed capital investment (excluding land cost), subject to a maximum of Rs one crore. Private auto park developers would also be entitled to capital grant of up to 20 per cent of the fixed capital investment (excluding land cost), subject to a limit of Rs two crore, according to the draft policy.

The Odisha government today said it would formulate Aerospace and Defence Production Policy and Automobile and Automobile Component Policy in 2017. This was informed by Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra while replying the debate on the expenditure relating to his department in the assembly. “The state will have two new policies during 2017-18 fiscal to attract investors in these sectors,” Mishra said.

Stating that the state government has received investment intent of Rs 2.03 lakh crore during the Make In Odisha Conclave in December 2016, Mishra said the state’s new sectoral policies have been highly appreciated by the investors from across the globe.

He said Pharmaceutical Policy, Health care Investment Promotion Policy, Apparel Policy, Biotechnology Policy, Renewable Energy Policy and Startup Policy were formulated before the Make In Odisha Conclave here. These policy could catch attention of the investors. Therefore, two new policies to be announced during this fiscal was also expected to bring good investment for the state.

The minister said as many as 126 investors have envinced their interest to set up industries during three mega industrial meet organised by the state government in different places. While 14 investors have proposed to invest Rs 70,959 crore at the Make-In-India Week in Mumbai, 29 investors also came out to set up their units at an investment of Rs 90,670 crore during the Odisha Investors Meet at Bengaluru.

The Industries minister said the state owned IDCOL (Infrastructure Development Company Limited) and IREL (indian rare earth limited) would sign an MoU in 2017 for setting up Beach Sand Project in a joint venture. This apart some industrial parks would be established during this fiscal, he said.

Mishra said the state government has been making all out effort to include Odisha’s industrial clusters in the East Coast Economic Corridor.

"The industries that have started partial or full operations have invested Rs 2.53 lakh crore, generating employment for 152,398 people in the state", industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra informed the Odisha Legislative Assembly through a written reply. The operational industries have recruited 101,147 persons from the state and the rest from elsewhere.

From 2004, the Odisha government has signed MoUs with 92 companies across sectors like steel, aluminium, cement, thermal power, downstream, auto components and petrochemicals. The combined investment intention by these companies stands at Rs 5.68 lakh crore.

Bulk of the investments have flown from the steel sector. With 48 MoUs, steel sector leads the pack of investors. As many as 33 steel units have already started partial or full scale production, investing around Rs 1.3 lakh crore, creating capacity of nearly 15 million tonne. Tata Steel, Bhushan Steel and Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) have been the major investors.

In the power sector, independent power producers (IPPs) have invested around Rs 40,000 crore. The state government has inked MoUs with 28 IPPs, envisaging a total production capacity of around 37,500 Mw with proposed investment of over Rs 1 lakh crore. Three IPPs- Vedanta Group firm Sesa Sterlite, GMR Kamalanga and Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL) have begun commercial production.

State-run gas company GAIL (India) Ltd has committed an investment of Rs 1,750 crore to build a City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Of the envisaged investment, Rs 1,000 crore would be spent on Bhubaneswar while the remaining Rs 750 crore has been set aside for Cuttack. Gas distribution to households in the twin-city region is expected to be a reality by December 2019 or early 2020.

"The Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra natural gas pipeline being built by GAIL would be the feeder line for gas supplies in Odisha. This pipeline is being constructed at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore, of which Rs 4,000 crore is being spent in Odisha. In two to three years, the entire pipeline would be constructed and commissioned," said A K Singh, executive director, GAIL (India) Ltd.

In Odisha, the 2,619-km Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra natural gas pipeline would have a network of 762 km, covering 13 districts.

The CGD project proposes to cover a population of 0.5 million in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in the next thee to five years. Apart from households, piped natural gas (PNG) would be supplied to industries and compressed natural gas (CNG) to vehicles under the 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Yojana'. The PNG for households is estimated to be cheaper than subsidised Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by 10-15 per cent.

In the next five years, 150,000 vehicles are expected to convert to CNG. Under the CGD project, 24 CNG stations would come up in Bhubaneswar and 25 in Cuttack. GAIL eyes gas sales of 0.5 mmscmd (million metric standard cubic metre per day) and 0.25 mmscmd in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack respectively.

"We will start work on the CGD in June this year. A pilot project would be initiated in Bhubaneswar. By December 2017, natural gas would be supplied to select households in the city. Initially, 1,000 households of Nalco and Railway employees would be covered under the pilot projects", said Ashutosh Karnatak, director (projects), GAIL (India) Ltd.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday advised the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) to reserve land for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in all its industrial estates and develop a land bank exclusively for MSMEs at important growth centres of the State.
Inaugurating the MSME Trade Fair-2017 here, Patnaik asked the single window committees to ensure that MSMEs are provided the same facilitation and the ease of approvals like the large industries. Naveen expressed happiness over the fact that more than 2.5 lakh MSME enterprises have been established in the State with a cumulative investment of more than `12,000 crore which have given employment to over 11 lakh persons.

The Chief Minister said the budget provision of MSME department has been increased by more than 48 per cent for 2017-18 compared to the previous year with an objective to promote the sector and maximise avenues for employment. He said the development of ancillary and downstream industries with the help of Central and State public sector undertakings (PSUs) should be accorded priority.

Minister for MSME Jogendra Behera and Minister for School and Mass Education Debi Prasad Mishra also addressed. Chairman of the Odisha Skill Development Authority Subroto Bagchi called upon all the start-ups and entrepreneurs to excel in their respective fields.

The Chief Minister felicitated 20 boys and girls, who have won the Youth Innovation Award. Four of them were awarded `one lakh each for developing proto-types while the remaining 16 youths were awarded `50,000 each for working on an innovative idea.
Principal Secretary in the MSME department LN Gupta said the fair is focused on start-ups. More than 250 entrepreneurs of the MSME sector and 50 start-ups are participating in the trade fair this year, he added

As Odisha eyes to be among best three positions in terms of ease of doing business, the state government on Thursday asked all departments to reveal the reforms they have done for facilitating investment opportunities in Odisha.

The World Bank along with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union ministry of commerce ranked Odisha 7th among all states in terms of ease of doing business in September, last year.

"We are making efforts to ease the process of doing business in Odisha for all categories of industries with special focus on small and medium enterprises as these industries have potential to create more employment," said industries secretary, Sanjeev Chopra after a meeting headed by chief secretary A P Padhi here.

Chopra said the DIPP has also suggested the state government to work on total 340 reform points of which the state government has already complied on 258 points. While water resources department recorded 100 per cent compliance to reform agenda, other departments like commercial tax, energy, labour and employees state insurance, industries and State Pollution Control Board complied around 90 per cent of the reform points.

In 2015, Foxconn had announced it would set up 12 factories in India, creating one million jobs

Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturing company, is considering Odisha, among others, to set up its manufacturing facility.

In 2015, Foxconn had announced it would set up 12 factories in India, creating one million jobs. A team from Foxconn has already visited the industrial park at Gopalpur where Tata Steel is the anchor tenant. The industrial park spreads over 3,500 acres of land.

PLANS IN THE STATE
•    A team from Odisha govt visited Taiwan in Oct 2015, Foxconn evinced interest 
•    Foxconn has sought 1,000 acres  for Odisha unit 
•    Odisha has rolled out  incentives for electronics investors 
•    It’s giving additional incentives on capital investment subsidy, human capital investment subsidy, power, water and interest subsidy

“Foxconn has visited the industrial park at Gopalpur and has shown interest to put up a facility. The company has asked for 1,000 acres of land. The location has surplus land and it can be offered to Foxconn,” said Pranab Prakash Das, Odisha's minister for electronics and information technology.

It needs to be mentioned that Foxconn’s engagement with the Odisha government is still nascent and the company is yet to spell out the scale of investment or the range of products it intends to manufacture in the state.

The state government considers Gopalpur as an ideal port-based location for Foxconn’s manufacturing unit. It will also offer it the advantage of proximity to the Visakhapatnam port. 

“Foxconn officials had evinced interest in visiting Odisha and explore the opportunities during a state delegation visit to Taiwan to attract investments in the electronic system design and manufacturing sector in October 2015,” said an industry source. Foxconn had started negotiations towards the middle of 2015 for making Apple’s iPhones in India.

In August 2015, the Taiwanese electronics major signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to set up an electronics manufacturing plant at an investment of $5 billion for five years. Foxconn is keen to invest on manufacturing, energy and e-commerce sectors in the country. It has kicked off local production of mobile handsets for Chinese brands Gionee and OnePlus at

Sri City, 575 km from Hyderabad.

The Odisha government, meanwhile, has been making frenzied efforts to lure investors in the electronics manufacturing space.

The state government has already declared a special incentive package scheme to lure investments in electronics by giving additional incentives on capital investment subsidy, human capital investment subsidy, power incentives, water incentives and interest subsidy over and above the promises made in the Information and Communications Technology Policy-2014.

Investors with investment exceeding Rs 200 crore and offering employment potential of 500 would be entitled to 25 per cent investment subsidy on capital investment, subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore. Further, if their project is financed by public sector banks, the state government would offer an interest subvention of five per cent.

The state information technology department has also been renamed as the department of electronics and information technology.

The Project Monitoring Group (PMG) of the Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) today expressed its satisfaction over implementation of at least 32 projects across sectors like steel, power, coal mining and railways.

"There has been substantial progress in implementation of projects. State machinery has acted very proactively and resolved issues raised by the project implementing agencies. We are quite satisfied with the progress made in Odisha," said Arun Goel, Additional Secretary, PMG at the Prime Minister's Office. 

Goel said this after taking stock of different projects at a meeting held here under the chairmanship of Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi. 

"We have mainly reviewed infrastructure based investment projects. Around 32 projects in railway, national highway, water pipeline, coal block development, coal transportation corridor and power sectors were discussed and resolved. This joint exercise has been helpful for expediting the projects," Padhi said. 

The major projects reviewed included Khurdha-Bolangir new broad gauge railway link being implemented at a cost of Rs 3,550 crore, doubling of Sambalpur-Bamur railway line with project cost of Rs 1,111 crore, doubling of Sambalpur-Titilagarh railway link at a cost of Rs 1,078 crore, Hardaspur-Paradeep rail link project, Talcher-Bimilagarh new rail line project with an estimated cost of Rs 810 crore and Angul-Sukinda new rail line project with an estimated cost of Rs 638.5 crore. 

Among the NH projects reviewed were 

Tileibani-Sambalpur section of NH-6 at an estimated cost of Rs 752 crore, Binhjabahal-Teleibani section of NH-6 at estimated cost of Rs 1,057 crore, Baharagora-Singara section of NH-6 at an estimated cost of Rs 734 crore, 6-laning of Bhubnaneswar-Chandikhol section of NH-5 at an estimated cost of Rs 1047 crore and others. 

The meeting also reviewed progress of coal and power projects like the SMC power generation project, Telengiri Irrigation project, Coal mine projects of MCL, Jharsuguda-Barpali coal transportation railway line and others. 

Issues relating to rehabilitation, award of compensation, forest clearance, evacuation of encroachment from acquired land, forest clearance, environmental clearances, tree cutting permission, DGPS survey, compensatory afforestation were discussed and resolved, Padhi said. 

Padhi also set timelines for various phases of each project and directed the NH officials and engineers to keep all roads in motorable conditions before the Monsoons.

Billing Paradeep port as the growth engine of the eastern region, Union minister for road transport & highways and shipping Nitin Gadkari said, the port would witness investment of Rs 50,000 crore in the next five years.

"The port would see investment in many areas such as port-road connectivity and port-rail connectivity. The port's draft is being raised to 18 metres to enable it to handle huge vessels of 200,000 dwt (dead weight tonnage). We have already awarded work contracts worth Rs 2600 crore for various port related works", Gadkari said here.

The Union minister said, work has already been initiated to raise the capacity of the Paradeep port three-fold to 325 million tonne per annum (mtpa) by 2025. A new port would also be established at Paradeep at an investment of Rs 8200 crore, he added. The proposed port would have a cargo handling capacity of 150 mtpa.

The minister said, a port would also be built at Chabahar (Iran) in 18 months. This port would serve as a gateway for imports and exports.

The ministry of road transport & highways and shipping has unveiled an ambitious plan to build port and road projects worth Rs 25 lakh crore. Of this, work has already been initiated for projects valued at Rs 2.5 lakh crore, the minister claimed.

Today, 24-25 km of roads are built across the country every day against the average of two km two years back and we have a target to raise it to 41 km per day in the years to come, he said.

Commenting on coal availability, Gadkari said the country is now in a position of coal and power surplus and imports (of coal) have declined drastically. Coal production in Odisha from Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) is projected to touch 300 million tonne and to evacuate coal, a railway track is being constructed from Talcher to Paradeep at a cost of Rs 7000 crore.

The minister emphasized on coal movement through water, saying it has the potential to reduce power cost by one rupee per unit and lead to overall savings of Rs 10,000 crore in a year. Logistics cost contributes 18 per cent and transportation through water can bring it down to 12 per cent, said he. High logistics costs was impairing India's competitive edge in the global market, Gadkari said.

Gadkari admitted that farmers were committing suicides and water problems were prevailing in 11 states. "In the Budget, our government has an allocation of Rs 80,000 crore under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and Rs 20,000 crore would be spent in the first year. Presently, 46 per cent of the cultivable area is irrigated and an additional 10 million hectares would be brought under irrigation under this scheme.", he maintained.

Articulating the achievements of two years of the Narendra Modi-led government, he pointed to the benefits under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), direct subsidy transfer, Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency (MUDRA), Make in India and Digital India programmes.

With industries not completing their projects on time despite prior commitment in MoUs, the Odisha Government has decided to hand a deadline for use of allocated water to the corporates.

For large industries, water allocation will be made for five years whereas for small and medium enterprises, initial allocation will be for three years. If the industries fail to utilise the water allocated to them within the period, the permission will be cancelled and not renewed unless recommended by Ipicol and State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA).

The industries will have to pay a commitment charge of 5  per cent on the unutilised water if they fail to use the allocated amount during their operational period and seek a re-phasing of the allocation. The operational period is defined as the first three years during which commercial production starts.

In a new set of guidelines, the Water Resources department said industries will have to clearly mention the source of water required for construction which will be for six months. It can be renewed but only upon application. Similarly, for operational period, water will be allocated for three years for MSME and five years for large industries.

If the allocated water is not used by the end of the stipulated time, it would stand de-allocated unless an extension is sought three months before expiry.

The department said while industries have been finding it difficult in some cases to start commercial production within three years, the Government does not get revenue on the unutilised volume of water allocated to industries.

The new guidelines state that re-phasing or revalidation of allocation will be allowed only for two years in case of MSME and three years for large industries after the original operational period. But it will be done only on the recommendation of Ipicol and SLSWCA. During the extended period, the industries will be bound to use the allocated water and pay a commitment charge of 5  per cent of the unutilised volume.

Action plan

Govt has decided to hand a deadline for use of allocated water to the industries

For large industries, water allocation will be made for five years

For small and medium enterprises, initial allocation will be for three years

Paradip Port Trust received Best Performance Award from Shipping Ministry.The Port showed best improvement in efficiency parameters for the year 2015-16. Shri N. Vaiyapuri, Deputy Chairman, PPT received the award during the review meeting held at Panaji, Goa. 

Paradip Port Trust has achieved outstanding efficiency parameters among the major Ports. Vessel turn round time has been drastically reduced by 36% from 7.01 days in 2014-15 to 4.50 days during 2015-16. Similarly, berth day output has also increased by 19% from 17,736 metric tonnes to 21,139 metric tonnes. 

The mechanised coal berths being used for loading the thermal coal for power plants located in southern states have also recorded throughput increase by 23% from 32,880 metric tonnes to 40,440 metric tonnes. 

Mishra said the new policy is expected to generate 10 lakh more jobs. The minister said the policy will be fully implemented by March 2017. The start-up policy would attract investments of Rs 2.5 lakh crore in different sectors like plastics, petrochemicals, healthcare, automobiles and textiles. In another review of the Energy Department, Patnaik set a target of electrifying every single village in the state by 2019.

Chief Secretary AP Padhi on Monday directed concerned officers to expedite the Bhubaneswar Smart City process and set timelines for each project. Padhi issued the direction while reviewing the progress of the projects at the State Ssecretariat here. Smart City Mission CEO R Vineel Krishna placed the updates and outlined the issues for discussion.

He advised to develop a ‘GPS-based integrated mobile apps’ for denizens and appropriate waste management systems. The projects like Automated Traffic Signalisation (ATS), Railway Multimodal Hub Phase-I, ‘Bhubaneswar One’ (Common Integrated GIS Platform),  Shantinagar Awas Yojana and Satyanagar Institutional core area development were put to fast track. It was decided that the number of ATS would be enhanced to 64 from the present level of 24 at a cost estimated cost of Rs 10 crore within coming nine months.

The Common Integrated GIS Platform project would have online information about basic data of the city, containing properties, land use, master plan, monuments, parking, educational institutions, health institutions, routes, bus services and online routes of tax payment. The ESRI has been entrusted to undertake the Phase-I of this project at an estimated cost of Rs 3 crore. The other fast-tracked project was Railway Multi Modal Hub Phase-I near the railway station. The project includes railway terminal building, bus terminal and underground parking area development. Estimated cost of the project is around Rs 340 crore.

CEO Krishna informed this to mediaperosns after the meeting. He said the tender document would be made readywithin two weeks. The Satyanagr Institutional Core Redevelopment project would come up in an area of 40 acres. The area would be developed into an institutional space for promotion of commerce, business and education hub. The joint survey of the BMC and the GA Department has been completed. Similarly, the Shantinagar Awas Yojana for redevelopment of slum area is being survey jointly by the BMC and the GA Department. Other projects reviewed included the Bhubaneswar Urban Knowledge Center, ‘I am Bhubaneswar’ and the Street Vendor Improvement Programme. Among others, Housing and Urban Development Secretary G Mathivathanan, GA Special Secretary Ashok Mina,  BMC Commissioner Kishan Kumar, DCP Amrita Das and IT Special Secretary Rudra Narayan Pallai were present.  

Even as some big ticket projects including the proposed steel plant by Posco failed to take off in Odisha, the government today decided to take steps for turning the state into manufacturing hub of Eastern India by the next five years.

  A decision to this effect was taken at a high level meeting presided over by chief minister Naveen Patnaik where he reviewed the performance of Industries department during the last two years. The manufacturing sector at present contributes 16.7 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

  It was decided that policies for different sectors will be prepared the State to implement Vision-2025. The new start up policy will be implemented by June end while policies on plastic and petrochemicals, health care investment, pharmaceutical, automobile and auto component and textile sectors will be finalised by March, 2017.

  Vision-2025 has set target for investment of `250000 crore and generate 10 lakh employment opportunities in the State. Official sources said 39 projects have been approved in 2015-16 for investment of `48000 crore.

   In a bid to ensure a hassle free investment in Odisha, land bank of one lakh acre has been created. Besides, decision has been taken to set up four new industrial estates and develop infrastructure as a part of ease of doing business in the state.

  The chief minister, who also reviewed the activities of the energy, electronics and information technology departments, directed that all villages should be electrified by 2019. Naveen asked the department to  replace 15000 defunct transformers with new ones and provide electricity to all BPL families during the next four years.

  It was decided that the state government will formulate a business process outsourcing (BPO) during the year. A target has been fixed to set up 10,000 BPO units in rural areas of the state. Besides, four more Software Technology Parks of India (STPIs) will be set up in the state. The proposal to provide internet service 500 police stations was also discussed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said eastern India has remained economically backward but his government has focussed its development plan to uproot poverty from the region.

Addressing a public gathering in this coastal district of Odisha, Modi said the governments were visible in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled western and central states of India and far more developed than their counterparts in the east.

He named Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Haryana as “more developed states” in the country than Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha,

“Poverty (in the eastern region) is increasing. People from here go to western states for jobs. Why? You have every resource to be self-sufficient. The god has given you everything,” he said.

“But despite that why is the poverty still chasing us. Eastern India needs more development. And that is why all our developmental plans have preferred eastern states including Odisha.”

He said that the policies of his government “related to everyday problems of the poor in India”.

“Who needs government? Do rich people need government. If anybody needs it, its is the poor of the nation. Governments are for the poor…we have to defeat poverty. Get rid of it. And that is why we work towards the empowerment of the poor.”

Modi said that the previous central governments have been shouting slogans to eradicate poverty. “Their intentions may have been right. I am not doubting that. But their path was wrong.”

The prime minister said his government has already electrified more than 18,000 villages in India. “These villages were without power even after nearly 70 years of independence and that is the beginning of empowerment of the poor,” he added.

The lapsing of validity of 16 merchant mines in Odisha by March 31, 2020 is set to create a deficit of 66 million tonne (mt) of iron ore. Steel mills and other end use industries operating without captive ore sources are likely to be hit hard as no roadmap has been prepared for auctioning of these leases.

As per the provisions of the amended Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, the validity of existing non-merchant mines have been extended till March 31,2020 and those of captive leases till 2030.

Major mining leases lapsing by March 2020 include the ones held by Rungta Mines, KJS Ahluwalia, Serajuddin & Co, Kaypee Enterprises, Kalinga Mining Corporation, Mid East Integrated Steel Ltd, KN Ram, RB Das, Tarini Prasad Mohanty, KC Pradhan and Lal Traders.

"There will be sharp reduction in iron ore sourcing to the tune of 66 mt as leases of 16 non-captive mines would expire by 2020. Though there are a number of mineral blocks in Odisha, many blocks are not yet explored up to the G2 level. Incomplete exploratory work in the existing leases and lack of a roadmap for auctioning of mines in 2020 will add to the demand-supply gap", said an industry source.

Iron ore blocks going for auctions need to be explored at least up to G2 level as per the policy of the Government of India. Most of the mining leases expiring in 2020 have not been explored to that level. There is an exploratory obligation on holder of mining lease as per laid down conditions in the approved mining plan under Mineral Concession Development Rules (MCDR), 1988. Rule 22 of Mineral Auction Rules 2015 stipulates to complete detailed exploration at G1 level and prepare a detailed feasibility study report, over the entire area under the mining lease, within a period of five years from the date of commencement of such mining lease.

"The state government needs to publish a roadmap for auctioning the leases which are due to expire in 2020. Moreover, the state government needs to enforce on operating leaseholders to comply with their exploratory obligations within the stipulated time", he added.

As of now, there are 47 iron and manganese ore mines with an approved EC (environment clearance) limit of 154 million tonne. Of this, there are 37 operating merchant mines of which 16 leases are due to expire by March 31, 2020 and such leases have an EC limit to produce 66 mt of iron ore. The remaining 10 are captive mines with an approved production ceiling of 53.10 mt.

The Odisha government has set an ambitious target of creating employment opportunities for four lakh youth by setting up 1.5 lakh small industries by 2018-19, officials said on Monday.

Reviewing the performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) department, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed it to take necessary steps to meet the target by 2018-19.

The state government has facilitated employment opportunities for 1.75 lakh youth by setting up more than 50,000 small industries in 2015-16, said an official.

MSME Minister Jogendra Behera said the department would set up 36,000 MSMEs in 2016-17.

The minister said incubation centres would come up in each district while assistance would be provided to the entrepreneurs through Biju Atma Nijukti Yojana.

Besides, the meeting also discussed to expedite the process for setting up other food parks and Imported Wood Based Cluster at Paradip.

The food park being set up at Rayagada would start functioning by December this year, said Behera.

The proposed wood based cluster is expected to provide alternative to wood working industries, besides meeting the wood requirement of people without disturbing the natural forests.

The revised draft report of entrepreneurship development policy has already been prepared and it is awaiting approval of the finance department, said an official.

The National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) aims to generate a business turnover of Rs 1,700 crore through its various schemes in Odisha during the current fiscal.

“This year, we hope it (the turnover) would reach Rs 1,700 crore, which includes income from tender marketing on behalf of MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), raw material distribution, finance to units through bank tie-ups and raw material assistance against bank guarantee. Last fiscal, the turnover was around Rs 875 crore in the state," said an official.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is signed with theNSIC headquarters on the business plan, he added.

The units registered with NSIC are eligible to get the benefits under Public Procurement Policy for Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) scheme.

As per the policy, every central ministry department and PSU shall set an annual goal of purchasing a minimum 20 per cent of their total annual requirement of products or services from MSEs. Out of this 20 per cent stipulation, four per cent is earmarked for MSEs promoted by schedule caste and schedule tribe persons.

At present, NSIC is rendering services to about 2,000 small scale units in the state.

NSIC, operating under the Ministry of MSME, has signed pacts with various nationalised and private banks for credit facilitation to the MSMEs under its bank tie-up scheme. Through syndication with these banks, NSIC arranges for credit support (fund or non-fund based limits) from banks without any cost to MSMEs. All documentation pertaining to completion and submission of credit proposals to banks is also undertaken by NSIC.

NSIC has set a target to give hand holding support to 600 new entrepreneurs in the state in this financial year, added the official.

NSIC, a mini ratna Government of India company, is also setting up an MSME facilitation centre in Bhubaneswar.

In a bid to improve railway connectivity between Titilagarh in Odisha and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the Vizianagaram-Titlagarh third line project. It will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2,335.68 crore.

The third line, which comes under the east coast railway (ECoR), is an alternative route to over-burdened existing line. The length of the railway line will be 264.6 km. The project will be completed within five years, sources said.

Railway sources said this link also opens an alternative route to oversaturated Kharagpur-Jharsuguda section, Howrah-Mumbai Grand Trunk route and Howrah-Chennai section main line. This move of the Centre will benefit Rayagada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha and Vizianagaram and Babbili districts of Andhra Pradesh, it added.

Vizianagaram and Titlagarh is a double-lined non-electrified section of Jharsuguda-Vizianagaram line. The section is oversaturated with present capacity utilization of 106 per cent and a huge detention of both passenger and goods trains. In an average, the section handles 47 pairs of trains per day, including 27 pairs of passenger trains and 20 pairs of goods trains.

After growth of industries between Jharsuguda-Rengali and Talcher-Angul-Dhenkanal sections, third line between Vizianagaram and Titlagarh has become a necessary step to overcome the goods traffic on the coming days.

ECoR sources said electrification work of the line will be completed by March 2017, while electrification work of Titlagarh-Raipur railway line and Jharsuguda-Titlagarh would be completed by September, 2017 and March, 2018 respectively.

"Sanction of this line will give a thrust to improvement in mobility and become extremely helpful in running better train services between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. This explained the importance of these districts as crucial for movement of goods and passenger services," said ECoR's chief public relations officer JP Mishra.

Birla group company Kesoram Industries will continue to focus and strengthen its tyre business even though it sold its tyre manufacturing plant at Laksar in Haridwar, a top official the company said on Wednesday. 

"We are not going out of the tyre business. We have sold a tyre manufacturing facility not the tyre business to JK Tyres. We will strengthen our tyre business and will come up with new products," said tyre maker's whole-time director and CFO Tridib Das. 

The company sold its Haridwar tyre manufacturing plant to JK Tyre for Rs 2195 crore. 

"With the sale of the plant, we gave out a 555 tonnes a day capacity of producing truck and bus bias tyres, two-three wheeler tyres and truck and bus radial tyres. Of the total capacity, 320 tonnes a day was for manufacturing of truck and bus bias tyre," he said. 

"We are concentrating to build our Balasore plant as a state-of-the- art facility. The production of two-three wheeler tyres has already started in the plant," Das said. 

The Odisha plant capacity stands at 275 tonnes a day on bias tyre and 60 tonnes a day in two-three wheeler tyres," he said. 

He said that the company would source only truck and bus radial tyres from China as of now and we will produce the rest, he said. 

The Balasore plant where capacity utilisation stands at 70 percent can produce 1.85 lakhs tyres a month. "We will meet the demand of 3.5 lakhs tyres a month," he said. 

The company plans to invest Rs 300 crore for producing passenger car radial tyre facility, he added.

Country's biggest natural gas transporter GAIL India Ltd BSE 1.30 % has reconfigured the Rs 12,000 crore Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline, which will connect Prime Minister Narendra Modi's political constituency Varanasi to the gas grid, to link the Dhamra terminal. 

The over 2,500-kilometer line will be constructed in three phases and will also now connect Adani Group's Dhamra LNG import terminal in Odisha, GAIL Chairman and Managing Director B C Tripathi said here. 

In the first phase, a trunk pipeline from Phulpur (Allahabad) will be laid to Dobhi (Gaya) in Bihar with spur lines to Barauni and Patna. "The 755-km Phase-1 project will cost Rs 3,200 crore and will be completed by December 2018," he said. 

This section will take natural gas to Varanasi for not just feeding local industries but also for retailing CNG to automobiles and piped cooking gas for households. 

GAIL already as a line up to Phulpur. It is raising capacity of this pipeline by laying a 672-km parallel line from Vijaipur in Madhya Pradesh to Phulpur via Auriaya in Uttar Pradesh at the cost of Rs 4,300 crore. 
 

In the Phase-II, a 1200-km line would be laid from Dobhi to Bokaro/Ranchi in Jharkhand and Angul and Dharma in Odisha at the cost of Rs 5,565 crore, he said, adding that Phase-III will involve laying 583-km line to Haldia at the cost of Rs 3,425 crore. 

"While we can confirm that Phase-1 will be completed by December 2018, Phase-II and III completion will depend on the fertiliser plants coming up in the region as well as the timing of the Dharma LNG terminal," he said. 
 

The phase-1 project will supply gas to major industries such as the Barauni Refinery and the Barauni fertilizer plant, which is being revived, besides power and steel plants. 

It will also help in setting up of City Gas Networks in major cities enroute. 

Previously, Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline was to span over 2,050-km but the length has now been increased with addition of Dharma port connectivity. 
 

GAIL originally proposed to lay the pipeline from Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh to Haldia in West Bengal nearly a decade back. But the project was put on the back burner due to non availability of gas and customers. 

The project was revived after BJP government came to power in May 2014 and it was felt that Modi's constituency, Varanasi should be connected to the gas grid at the earliest. 

Also, the pipeline was needed for revival the fertiliser units in Barauni in Bihar and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. 

Tripathi said GAIL is also investing Rs 2,000 crore in replacing old pipelines in Cauvery and Krishna Godavari area of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as well as in Gujarat. 

"We are laying 700-km of new pipeline to replaced 35-40 years old pipelines," he said 

With the Centre approving Odisha government's proposal to set up a National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) at Kalinga Nagar, Union Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said the first phase of the project will be completed by 2020.

"A total of Rs 4,241 crore will be invested in the proposed NIMZ at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district. The first phase of the project will be completed by 2020 with initial investment of Rs 3,816 crore," Pradhan told reporters here.

Stating that the Union Ministry of Commerce has estimated that the NIMZ project would create employment opportunities for over 1.5 lakh people, Pradhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the approval.

"Approval to this NIMZ project ahead of Prime Minister Modi's visit to Odisha clearly signifies the Centre's thrust on the development of Odisha and eastern India," Pradhan said in a statement.

Besides witnessing growth of metal industries in the state, this NIMZ would boost the prospect of Paradip Port, road, air and rail connectivity in Odisha, Pradhan said adding the youths of Odisha can avail employment opportunities.

The proposed project would be a mega industrial zone having a world-class township to cater to the needs of the investors.

The Kalinga Nagar NIMZ would be the third Investment and Manufacturing Zone of India involving a massive area of 163 sq km.

The state government has committed to provide uninterrupted power supply, dedicated industrial feeder and quality physical infrastructure and common facilities for the project. AAM DKB MR

Raghuram Rajan has been a vocal supporter of startups and entrepreneurship, a view made amply clear in his various interactions ever since he took over as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2012.

So it was not surprising when Rajan took time out from his busy schedule in Bhubaneshwar last week to visit the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), launched by educationist Prof Achyuta Samanta, which seeks to provide high-quality education for poor children.

KIIT operates on an annual collection of ` 80 crore, comprising almost entirely of funds raised from stakeholders of the institute, its staff, vendors and from in-house sales. Only 10% of the annual collection comes from donations.

Speaking to HT about his interaction with Rajan, Samant recounted the RBI governor’s words: “I am amazed with the kind of financial model that you have built to provide education to the needy. It would be good to see more people participating in such kind of service.”

Later, while addressing the 4th Odisha Knowledge Hub, Rajan spoke about the growth in Indian entrepreneurship, which was linked to service. “India has come a long way in encouraging free enterprise — from tiny shops to large internet startups, the spirit of entrepreneurship is alive. Doing business is now more reputable than just a few decades ago, as is getting rich,” he told the gathering. “Graduates want to start businesses or work for startups, rather than join an established consultancy or a bank. What was now needed was to continue improving the environment so that everyone has a better chance.” The governor said it was necessary to broaden access to capabilities by providing decent education and health to individuals. “Aam aadmi attaches no value to free enterprise if he cannot participate by getting a job or starting a firm.”

With over 5,000 registered startups, India is one of the fastest-growing market for such firms, and is ranked the third largest globally, with a total funding of $5 billion in 2015, according to PC Tablet.

The governor also focussed on how far India has come in building a startup environment, but said there was still some way to go. Along with the three historical conditions needed for free enterprise — levelplaying field with easy entry and exit, access to input and output markets and protection of property rights — the governor added two more conditions. These include broadening access to capabilities and a basic safety net.

Union Minister of State for Steel and Mines Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday emphasised on a comprehensive approach for sustained growth of mining industry so that the potential benefits of the sector are realised.

Inaugurating the Assocham conference on ‘Mining in Odisha’, Sai said mining is one of core sectors and a barometer of overall health of economy and industrial output. A vibrant mining industry is a bedrock of any industrial nation particularly when it is endowed with huge mineral potential.

“While we have come a long way in terms of technology upgradation and modernisation, there is still a lot of potential left for improvement. We have set up the National Mineral Exploration Trust and hope it would help increase the production,” he said.

The number of mines, which reported mineral production (excluding minor minerals), petroleum (crude), natural gas and atomic minerals was 3,318 in 2015 as against 3,722 last year. Of 3,318 reporting mines, 173 were located in Odisha.

Praising the Odisha Government for becoming the first State to auction iron ore mine after the amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, he hoped the State would speed up the auction process and increase production.

On the new National Mineral Exploration Policy, he said provisions have been made to allow private companies to participate in exploration work as the Government prepares to auction more and more blocks to augment mineral production in a new mining regime.

Odisha’s Minister of State for Steel and Mines Prafulla Kumar Mallik said Odisha is the first State in the country to issue rules for the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) - a body created to bring far reaching changes in India’s mining regulations.

“The total production of minerals during 2015-16 was 234.82 million tonne with despatch of 240 million tonne which is the highest production in the last 10 years. Odisha has also become the highest supplier of major minerals like iron ore, coal, bauxite and chrome which has facilitated the steel production of 20.38 million tonne as against 11.57 million tonne in 2014-15,” he said.

CEO (Aluminium Business) of Vedanta Ltd Abhijit Pati urged for developing a world class Mining Research Centre in Odisha so that a coordinated effort can be initiated by the Centre to work in the direction of a vibrant and responsible mining drive for the State. Principal Secretary of Steel and Mines Department R K Sharma and Chairman of Assocham National Council on Mines and Mineral and Nalco CMD TK Chand also spoke.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu to consider the recommendation of a Joint Working Group to set up an Electric Locomotive Periodic Overhaul workshop in Kalahandi district of Odisha.

The recommended workshop would need about 250 acres of land and his government is ready to provide the same free of cost for the greater benefit of the State, Mr. Patnaik said in a letter to Mr. Prabhu on Thursday.

The joint working group comprising Odisha Chief Secretary and the General Manager of East Coast Railway was set up to do an analysis of rail-based industries and suggest the most suitable factory or workshop in Kalahandi where earlier a wagon maintenance workshop had been announced in Railway Budget, 2013-14, Mr. Patnaik said.

The committee deliberated on various possibilities and based on actual demand and other economic considerations of Railways, it has recommended for setting up of the workshop, he added.

The group has also done a feasibility study based on the current operations and concluded that there is an immediate need for a 60 locomotives per year capacity workshop, Mr. Patnaik pointed out.

Plagued by financial stress and concerns of cheaper imports from China and Malaysia, the domestic ferrochrome companies have sought Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's intervention to restore the 30 per cent export duty on chrome ore and chrome ore concentrates.

The 2016-17 Budget had removed the export duty on chrome ore. Ferrochrome makers decried the move, saying it will lead to dumping of cheaper ferrochrome by China and kill value addition.

"Restoration of export duty shall help in bringing someEBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisaion) margin for the ferrochrome manufacturing companies and help in servicing interest cost which will be beneficial for the banks and the overall economy. We request your kind personal intervention in the matter so that the 30 per cent export duty on chrome ore and concentrates can be restored with immediate effect", Rajeev Singh, director general, Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) said in the letter to Patnaik.

Ferrochrome plants have made huge investment for setting up of manufacturing facilities and are creating jobs, but these industries are suffering low capacity utilization and becoming NPAs (non-performing assets) and financially stressed. The current capacity of ferrochrome making facility is 1.69 million tonne per annum (mtpa) whereas the capacity utilization is only approximately 60 per cent. This is mainly due to non availability of chrome ore and concentrates at viable prices and the restoration of export duty of 30 per cent is extremely crucial to ensure that domestic prices of chrome ore and concentrates are viable.

In 2012, the Odisha chief minister had written to the union mines ministry, advocating a complete ban on chromite. Allowing chrome ore exports would lead to depletion of reserves in two decades, he apprehended. Patnaik had cited the example of Zimbabwe, which despite having 10 per cent of the global chromite reserves, had banned exports of the mineral ore.

On the contrary, India's chromite reserves were scarce at 56 million tonne, corresponding to a meagre 0.6 per cent of the world's deposits. Around 97 per cent of all chrome ore reserves were concentrated in Odisha.

Annual chrome ore requirement of the domestic ferrochrome ore industry is pegged at about 4.5 million tonne and this calls for conserving the finite ore for the sake of value addition.

Moreover, exports of ferrochrome can generate much higher foreign exchange for the country compared to the export of raw chrome ore and concentrates.

The Centre has accorded final approval for the proposed National Investment Manufacturing Zone ( NIMZ) to be developed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district.

Kalinganagar is touted as the emerging steel hub of the country with concentration of units both by public and private sector entities.

“A high-level committee of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion ( DIPP) under the ministry of commerce and industry formed for giving the final approval has cleared the proposal of setting up NIMZ project in Odisha. However, we are yet to receive an official communication from the DIPP ”, said an official. The central government is expected to give more than Rs 4000 crore for the NIMZ project spreading over 163 sq km. The in-principle approval was accorded by DIPP in August 2015.

Idco (Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation), the state's agency for land acquisition and infrastructure development, is the nodal agency for implementation of the project.

The project will be developed in three phases in 15 years with an investment of Rs 10,000 crore for the internal and external infrastructure. Out of the total figure, the state government expects Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre and the balance will be invested by the state and private partners.

The NIMZ is expected to attract investment of Rs 1.5 lakh crore and generate an employment for 450,000 people after its completion. The manufacturing zone is expected to attract investment from varied sectors like metal and mines, automotive, steel and downstream industries.

It may be noted that the NIMZ would be a combination of production units, public utilities, logistics, environmental protection mechanism, residential areas and administrative services.

Such zones would have a processing area where the manufacturing facilities along with associated logistics and other services as well as required infrastructure will be located.

The processing area may include one or more Special Economic Zones (SEZs), industrial parks, warehousing zones and export oriented units.

Besides, there will be a non-processing area to include residential, commercial and other social and institutional infrastructure.

Global electronics manufacturing services provider Sanmina Corporation is keen to set up a manufacturing facility for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and also establish an R&D (research & development) centre in Odisha.

California-based Sanmina, a Fortune 500 firm has previously announced an investment of Rs 1,000 crore on an electronics manufacturing facility in Odisha during the 'Make in India' week in Mumbai in February this year.

A delegation from Sanmina is tipped to visit Odisha shortly to explore possibilities of the investment.

"The company officials are likely to visit Odisha. A delegation of the state government led by industries minster Debi Prasad Mishra discussed with the company officials during the visit to the US recently.The company is keen to set a PCB manufacturing unit and an R&D centre in the state as they have committed Rs 1,000 crore investment during the Make In India week held in Mumbai, said a government official.

The company serves original equipment manufacturers in technology-related industries such as communications and computer hardware. Sanmina has nearly 80 manufacturing sites. The company is one of the world's largest independent manufacturers of printed circuit boards and backplanes.

It serves clients in the fields of communications, computing, multimedia, semiconductors, defense, aerospace, medical applications, and automotive technology. Also, the company provides consulting, design, engineering, logistics, new product introduction, assembly, machining, and fabrication, to produce printed circuit boards, backplanes, cables, injection-molded plastics, enclosures and frames, optics.

Odisha is pulling all stops to lure investors in electronics manufacturing space. It is developing a greenfield electronics manufacturing cluster (EMC) on 207 acres of land on the city's outskirts.The cluster is expected to house over 100 electronics manufacturing units with an employment potential of 10,000-12,000 jobs.

On the policy front, the state government has unveiled exclusive incentives for ESDM (electronics system design and manufacturing) investors.

Those investors with investment exceeding Rs 200 crore and offering employment potential of over 500 would be entitled to 25 per cent investment subsidy on capital investment subject to a ceiling of Rs 50 crore.Further, if their project is financed by public sector banks, the state government would offer an interest subvention of five per cent.

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) and Tata Steel led the pack of 287 corporates in CSR (corporate social responsibility) spending in 2014-15. Total spending recorded by the companies on CSR stood at Rs 344.12 crore during FY15.

CSR spend by top 10 companies is calculated at Rs 239.56 crore and their contribution is approximately 70 per cent of the total CSR deployment for 2014-15. The top 10 companies included Coal India arm MCL (Rs 61.30 crore), Tata Steel Ltd (Rs 59.61 crore), aluminium major Vedanta Ltd (Rs 24.05 crore) and National Aluminum Company-Nalco (Rs 19.10 crore). Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd,Rourkela Steel Plant and Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) have spent Rs 16.16 crore, Rs 15.52 crore and Rs 13 crore respectively towards CSR.

"The CSR spend in Odisha of the top 10 corporates in 2014-15 was about 58 per cent of their prescribed CSR budget for India. The prescribed CSR resources was Rs 464.56 crore out of Rs 239.56 crore was spend in Odisha," read a white paper prepared by Forum for Integrated Development And Research (FIDR) in collaboration with state owned Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol).

The major proportion of CSR funds allocation in Odisha is done by companies operating in three categories -- steel, iron and ferro alloys,aluminium and mining with a contribution of 80 per cent to the total CSR spend in the state. Sectors such chemical/paint, textiles, tyre and rubber, food, sugar and dairy have negligible share in CSR involvement.

About 60 per cent of the investment under CSR is done by the corporates directly, six per cent of the investment is channeled through government organizations and about 12 per cent through non-governmental organizations and non-profit organizations (five per cent by NGOs and another seven per cent by society trusts or foundations).

Infrastructure development with an investment of Rs 96.15 crore (28 per cent of total CSR spend) received the highest allocation under CSR while 'Vocational Training' with a spending of Rs 11.55 crore (three per cent) recorded the lowest allocation among the seven categories of CSR themes.

Education sector with Rs 71.39 crore (21 per cent of the CSR spend) stood second to infrastructure development. The companies spent Rs 51.23 crore in health sector programmes, Rs 40.57 crore in environmental protection programs and Rs 44.16 crore in other activities such as awareness campaign, water and sanitation, financial assistance, promotion of sports and culture and supply of drinking water.

Presently, 24 out 30 districts in Odisha are covered under CSR activities. The balance six districts- Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Nuapada, Boudh, Gajapati and Deogarh do not have any CSR programmes under implementation. Angul district has the highest deployment under CSR, accounting for Rs 105.86 crore.

Ten districts in the state, receive about 90 per cent of the total CSR resources in the state, added the report.

The Utkal University of Culture will finally shift to its new campus at Madanpur near Jatni tomorrow after missing several deadlines in the past two years. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate the campus. 

President Pranab Mukherjee, during his visit to the state in November 2014, was supposed to inaugurate it, but that did not work out, as the construction was not over. The varsity had decided to shift to the new campus by April last year, but that, too, didn’t happen. They had then rescheduled its plan to shift before Nabakalebar, which also failed. 

Thereafter it was decided that the shift would happen during the 17th foundation day of the institute in January this year. In March, the students took to the streets demanding immediate shifting of the campus. 

“Lack of infrastructure was hampering the academics at the varsity. Students were also unhappy. It was high time that the campus is shifted,” said vice-chancellor of the varsity Debendranath Jena.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation was entrusted with the responsibility of building the campus. The work began in 2008. 

At present, there is a main building on the campus. The first floor will house the administrative departments and classes will be held on the second floor. There are two 100-seat hostels each for boys and girls. The main gate has been specially designed to reflect the culture of Odisha. Classes from the next academic session will be held on the new campus. 

“Special care has been taken for the beautification of the campus. Other facilities such as electrification and water sewerage system are in place. Pathways have been developed inside the campus where students can take a stroll or ride bicycles,” said Jena.

However, there are a few pending works. Provisions for amphitheatres and auditoriums are yet to be done. These apart, separate workplaces for various departments are yet to be completed. 

Plans are on to turn the institute into a residential complex until then transport services have been made for the students.

“Two buses will ply from the city to the campus daily. Once more hostels are constructed, all the students will be shifted to the campus. It will be done in the next two years,” he said. 

Former and current batch students are upbeat, but are apprehensive about the facilities. “Problems of scarcity of teachers and exposure are some of the problems that have been plaguing the students. Among many other things, lack of equipment in the institute is also another cause for concern. Unless these things are taken care of, shifting to the new campus will not be helpful,” said Ramanuja Dash, an alumnus of the varsity.

The old campus of the varsity located at Unit-II will be used as the research centre. “Focus will be on conducting research on classical Odia language. Former students will be roped in for the process,” said Jena. 

The Utkal University of Culture was established in 1999 to preserve, promote, propagate and protect the cultural richness of the state. 

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday urged Commerce and Industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman to set up an industrial corridor in Odisha to create state-of-the-art infrastructure in the state to help realise its economic potential.

"It is requested that the industrial corridor in Odisha be taken up simultaneously along with the Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) which is envisaged to be developed in the first phase of the East Coast Economic Corridor (linking Kolkata-Chennai-Tuticorin)," said Pradhan in a letter to his union cabinet colleague.

He said given the rich mineral resources and huge availability of manpower in Odisha, such an industrial corridor project is highly necessary to create state-of-the-art infrastructure in the state.

Noting that the Narendra Modi government has conceived the development of various industrial corridor projects for promoting manufacturing and industrial development in the country, he called for planning and implementing an industrial corridor in Odisha to complement the prime minister's vision for development of eastern India.

"Odisha has a well developed network of National Highways. Further, in the Railway Budget of 2016-2017, two dedicated freight corridors has been announced which would be passing through Odisha. The planning of the industrial corridor can be synchronized with the existing and upcoming infrastructure," said Pradhan in his letter.

The state government had to retrieve government land allotted to more than 200 industries for keeping the land unused in past four years since 2012, industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra told the assembly on Thursday.

Mishra said the government issued show-cause notices to total 977 allottees for not using the land. While 211 allotments were cancelled, court cases are pending for similar action in case of 60 others, he said. The others are on various other stages. Though the minister's reply doesn't give total volumes of land, it would run into more than 2,000 acre, government sources said.

The spurt in cancellations of land leases show how hundreds of industries had failed to commission their projects on land allotted to them in the state. The cancellations include 60 plots in various industrial areas of Bhubaneswar alone. They are 44 in Mancheswar, 15 in Chandaka and one in Rasulgarh industrial areas.

Major industries whose land leases were cancelled include 249 acre allotted for a solar power plant to Lanco Solar Private Limited in Cuttack district, Seashore Agricultural Promotion Company (69.81 acre in Nabarangpur) and Brady and Morris (14.4 acre) in Jajpur district, the minister said.

Saturday marked the last day of TiEcon 2016. The day featured speakers like Sanjay Mehrotra, co-founder, president, and chief executive officer of SanDisk, and counter-terrorism expert Brian Michael Jenkins.

Vivek Wadhwa, who was named one of the 40 most influential minds in tech by TIME magazine in June 2013, made a surprise appearance. His advice to start-ups was to focus on the Indian market, and come up with innovative solutions for the health care or infrastructure sectors, rather than trying to build a "me-too" photo-sharing app. "Don't worry about coming to US; the rest of the world needs you," the tech entrepreneur and academic told the audience.

Ficci Secretary-General A Didar Singh delivered a keynote on investing in India. This year's 'Destination India' track on Saturday included speakers such as J M Noronha, chairman of the Goa Public Service Commission and Phil Shaw, chief executive, Lockheed Martin India, talking about the country's defence business being open for business. Odisha Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and Pranab Prakash Das, the state's electronics & information technologyminister, talked about opportunities in the state. Genpact founder Pramod Bhasin talked about the future of BPOs.

Kailash Satyarthi, recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, delivering the closing keynote, said Silicon Valley engineers had changed the perception of India from a land of snake charmers and poor beggars to a country that produces successful entrepreneurs. "People say India is a country of 100 problems. I like to think India is a country of one billion solutions," Satyarthi said. "Poverty, illiteracy, and child labour form a triangle," he added. "These things cannot be solved in isolation."

The theme of the 2016 TiEcon was Dream Change Inspire.

Over 4,000 entrepreneurs, VCs, and Valley professionals attended the event, which was organized almost entirely by volunteers, including TiE charter members, various chairs, and close to 300 people who offered to help.

Decoding Indians' success in the US

At TiEcon 2016, Nirvikar Singh, director, Center for Analytical Finance, University of California, Santa Cruz, and a member of the Advisory Group to the Finance Minister of India on G-20 matters, asked, "How are Indians in the US so successful?"

The average income of Indian-Americans is higher than Americans or any other ethnic groups, wherever you go in the US. There were several factors which led to this, he said. Immigration is a highly selective process, favouring people with certain occupational choices. Since Indians came to the US for employment, thus they integrated with the job market readily, he explained.

People from India are fluent in English, have an advanced level of education and tend to have stable family structures -and all this contributed to economic success, Singh explained, adding there was a distinction between Indians who come to the US and Indians who were born in the country.

According to the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey, which does not calculate undocumented immigrants, China and India have the highest number of immigrants in America, followed by Mexico.

Median annual household income for Indian-Americans in 2010 was $88,000, according to a study by Pew Research Center. That number is significantly higher than Asian-Americans ($66,000) and all US households ($49,800).

Starting young

Nupur Mehta, 21, is TiEcon's youngest woman entrepreneur. Her company RigPlenish is working on an end-to-end data management application that automates paperwork at each stage of an ambulance run. Ambulance runs in the US are typically two hours long, with paramedics spending 40 minutes on paperwork. Mehta expects to reduce that to four minutes. Mehta started RigPlenish with three Indian college mates - Tejaswi Sagiraju, Gaurav Desai, and Shweta Sugnani.

Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and aerospace verticals. What are some of the start-ups he has signed up this year? "We have had some very interesting conversations," says Hubauer.

IT support from Mexico

Suri Chawla, an Indian-American who moved to the US close to two decades ago, has started a firm in Mexico with a team of 50, offering IT support services to US companies. Why in Mexico? The country's central time zone is closer to the US, and intellectual property rights are protected, says Chawla.

A TN visa lets workers come to the US on projects, without restriction hassles. And then of course, there is the salary differential between US and Mexico for the same occupational profile.

TiE unveils new logo

The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) unveiled a new logo at the closing session of TiEcon 2016. In true Silicon Valley style, the unveiling was virtual - done using computers, video, and projection screens. TiE co-founder and the organisation's first president Suhas Patil, who is also the founder of fabless semiconductor company Cirrus Logic, was present for the unveiling, along with all TiE presidents both past and present.

The new TiE logo is red and white, with a bold contemporary look. The tagline has been edited from "The Indus Entrepreneurs" to "Fostering Innovation".

The hydrocarbon sector would generate one lakh technical jobs over the next five years. Odisha needs an institute of international standards which would train youth to make them employable and cash in on the opportunity, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said here on Monday.

On the inaugural ceremony of India’s first ‘Skill Development Institute’ (SDI) (under National Skill Development Mission) at Mancheswar, Pradhan said, the Centre is ready to invest Rs 500 crore for setting up the permanent campus of the SDI which would be a centre of excellence and written to the State Government to provide 100 acres of land for this purpose.

Oil industry experts have identified at least 34 technical trades in the hydrocarbon sector, which would require a huge manpower in the coming days. The temporary  facility of SDI at Mancheswar Industrial Estate, which was inaugurated by Patnaik today, is equipped to impart training on two (welding and electrician) out of the 34 trades.

The SDI will have an intake capacity of 180 students in both trades for two sessions per year. Each course will span over six months with 45 students. Besides, soft skills spoken English and personality development training will be part of the curriculum.

“Development of Odisha should not be hit due to political tussle between Centre and the State Governments. Bharat Mata ki Jay and Vande Utkal Janani should complement each other,” Pradhan quipped.

The Centre has set a target to double the natural gas pipeline upto 30,000 kilometres over next five years. “Youths from Odisha have shone in plumbing sector worldwide. If they can work excellently with normal pipes, with some grooming, the same resources can be engaged in laying gas pipelines,” Pradhan asserted.

Addressing the occasion, Patnaik said, less than five percent of the workforce in the country has received any formal skill development training. “I am confident, the institute with its focus on imparting skill training in trades relevant to the downstream petroleum and petrochemicals sector will boost skilled manpower supply for the nation,” the Chief Minister said.Dharmendra Pradhan'

The state level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) headed by chief secretary A P Padhi cleared the proposal that would create a direct employment opportunity for around 4000 people.

Initially the unit would come up at an area of 30 acres, official sources said. Mohanty said the company has a plan to set up a gems and jewelry park at the same location by an additional investment of Rs 489 crore. After expansion, the proposed park would create direct employment opportunity for 12,000 people.

 A Parliamentary panel has pulled up the government for curtailing the expenses for crucial projects while funding initiatives like 'Make in India'.

"The committee is constrained to observe that allocations to many crucial projects were slashed in the year 2015-16 in view of funding ambitious projects like Make in India initiative," Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce said in its report.

However, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) could only utilise 40 per cent of the budget estimate for the initiative till December 2015.

The committee "strongly feels that the department should have been pro-active over timely utilisation of the funds available in the most effective manner", it said.

It also said that an expenditure to the tune of 40 per cent under the scheme for investment promotion for Make in India till December 2015 reflects lack of imagination and preparation of blueprint to promote India as an investment destination.

Further, the report said that Make in India campaign has devoted Rs 284 crore for expenditure under the minor head advertisement and publicity.

However, the work being done under this allocation is primarily business promotion through investor outreach programmes, it said.

The committee, it said, is of the view that these investor outreach programmes being conducted with the help of Indian Embassies/Missions or with the help of the professional agencies to target investor is separate from advertising and publicity.

"The committee feels that an allocation of Rs 200 crore and more under the head 'Business Promotion/Investor Outreach Programme' makes more sense than maintaining it under the head 'Advertisement and Publicity'," it added.

On ease of doing business, the report said against a target to integrate 6 central government services, only 3 new central government services could be integrated in 2015-16.

Similarly, against a target to roll-out state government services in the remaining pilot states of Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal some headway could be made only in state services of Andhra Pradesh (14 services), Delhi (2 services) and Odisha (14 services).

It expressed concern over the slow progress in pilot project level where 50 services have been targeted for implementation.

"With this pace of implementation, the committee wonders about the time that may go in making the project fully functional with integration of more than 200 services on the e-Biz portal," it added.

The committee strongly recommends that the pace of the project should be quickened to improve the business and regulatory environment of the country. 

This year marks the 90th anniversary of filmmaking in what is now called Odisha and isn't it time to revive the state-run Kalinga Studio that was established nearly 35 years ago but has for a variety of reasons fallen on hard times?

"We are preparing an action plan for renovating the studio to facilitate shooting of movies and teleserials. Several projects have already been taken up for revival of the studio," Odisha Film Development Corporation (OFDC) managing director Bibhuti Bhusan Behera told IANS.

Spread over 25 acres, the studio was established on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar in 1982. It attracted major filmmakers from all over the country during the 1980s and the 1990s. But in course of time, the studio lost out due to poor infrastructure and obsolete equipment.

"There was a budgetary allocation of Rs.2 crore (over $300,000) for developing the studio's infrastructure in 2015-16. This year also, the government has made a Rs.2 crore allocation. We are trying to revive the studio with limited resources," Behera said.

He said several floors will be created in the coming days with recording facilities while a village complex is on the verge of completion and would facilitate film shooting. He said the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has been tasked with the studio's development works.

At present the corporation has drawn a Rs.7 crore plan for developing ancillary infrastructure of Kalinga Studio to augment revenue generation. It has proposed setting up an open-air amphitheatre, three studios and an eco-park. An art theatre and a 300-capacity cultural centre will be built for multi-purpose activities like theatre, film screenings and cultural functions.

The OFDC has also proposed an eco-park over five acres for outdoor shooting.

"The proposals are in the....we are working on it. Presently we are concentrating on the village complex and construction of boundary wall of the studio," OFDC deputy general manager P.K. Misha said.

OFDC chairman Munna Khan, who is also an actor, told IANS the infrastructure development in the studio would give a boost to film making in the state.

"About 25 Odia movies are being filmed every year in the state. Due to lack of infrastructure, the producers and directors are moving outside the state for shooting. So, once Kalinga Studio is developed, they would prefer to shoot and record movies for cost saving while it would enable OFDC to generate revenue," Khan said.

Notably, the studio has cumulative losses of Rs.3.22 crore mainly due to inadequate production of films and changes in filmmaking technology. The studio has an annual income of Rs.20 lakh from its existing infrastructure.

Odisha has made a sweeping growth in all sectors attracting investments of over 200 billion US dollars in the last ten years. The State Government emphasises on leveraging its abundant resources and promoting maximum value addition to create employment opportunities, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.

Addressing a function on the occasion of Raising Day of Odisha Industrial Security Force (OISF) here, Naveen said there is a need to provide a healthy environment to the industries in the State. Considering this basic pre-requisite, the State Government has raised the State Industrial Security Force which starts functioning from Saturday, he added.

The Chief Minister congratulated total 1,370 new recruits of OISF, who will undergo a training of nine months on the lines of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and urged them to discharge their duties with responsibility and dedication.

The force will be responsible for protection and security of industrial undertakings of the Government and other establishments as well as strategic and vital installations. Naveen released the insignia of the force and distributed appointment letters to new recruits.

Among others, Principal Secretary of Home Department Asit Tripathy, DG Police KB Singh and Additional DGP of State Armed Police B Radhika were present.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced to set Odisha Skill Development Authority with renowned IT entrepreneur Subroto Bagchi as its head. 

"The OSDA will guide, implement, coordinate and oversee all skill development programmes in the state to ensure quality skill training standards and sustained employability of trained youths," he said in the assembly. 

Stating that the state government wanted the world to value the term "Skilled in Odisha," Patnaik said Bagchi will head the proposed Odisha Skill Development Authority, which will become operational from May 1. 

On Bagchi, the chief minister said that he was born at Patnagarh in Bolangir district and studied in Utkal University. 

He began his career working in industries department in the Odisha government and went on to become a Globally renowned IT entrepreneur, Patnaik said. 

Bagchi will be accorded the rank of a Cabinet Minister in the state and draw a salary of only Re 1 a year for his service. 

He will directly report to the chief minister and begin his work with a visit to all the 30 districts of the state to get first hand understanding of the initiative and submit his recommendations based on which a detailed programme will be worked out, Patnaik said. 

Quoting Bagchi, a release issued by the chief minister's office said, "I am deeply humbled and honoured to serve my mother land." 

The proposed OSDA will bring convergence amongst skill development programmes across departments and generate a momentum for thousands of young boys and girls to receive skill training in a truly professional manner so that they are in the reckoning in national and international job market, Patnaik said.

The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) employed around six lakh people compared to around one lakh by the large industries in the past 25 years in the state.

Industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra told the assembly that 1.24 lakh MSME units employed 5.84 lakh employees from 1990-91 to 2014-15. Similarly, 213 large industries in the same period employed 1.09 lakh people.

Industries generated highest jobs in Sundargarh district. The MSMEs employed 68,000 people in Sundargarh district followed by 48,000 in Khurda. Large industries provided jobs to highest 47,000 people in Sundargarh followed by 7,900 in Jajpur.

To a separate reply, the minister said the government has given its approval to 55 industrial houses to establish facilities in the state with a proposed investment of Rs 50,605 crore.

The Centre has approved nine special economic zones (SEZs) in the state. While five of them are notified, three have got formal approval and one has got in-principle approval.

Debi said the government has plan to establish national investment manufacturing zone (NIMZ) on 40,812 acre by spending Rs 10,627 crore at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district. The project is expected to invite Rs 1 lakh crore investment and generate 1.5 lakh direct employment. Detailed project report of the NIMZ is being prepared, he said.

The government will establish an electronics manufacturing cluster hardware park at Info Vally in Bhubaneswar IT investment region with an investment of Rs 209 crore. The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation has already prepared master plan for first phase of the project on 534 acres.

The State Government on Thursday claimed to have achieved self-sufficiency in power generation despite the fact  that it is getting 400 MW through power banking from Punjab and Delhi to meet the shortfall during  summer. "Power generated from the State is adequate to meet the present  demand and the Government is confident to meet the additional  demand of 2000 MW by 2019, the deadline for completion of rural  electrification programme," Minister of State for Energy Pranab Prakash Das told the Assembly.  Responding to the debate on the demand for grants of Energy Department for the current fiscal, Das  said the projected power demand of the State in 2019-20 is 5700 MW. The additional demand could be  easily met from Odisha Power Generation Corporation's (OPGC's) Ib Thermal Power Station which is  adding two more units of 660 MW each and the Independent Power Projects  (IPPs) under execution.

Four more IPPs including Ind Barath, Monnet Energy and Maa Durga  are expected to be commissioned in the current fiscal and the State's share from  these IPPs will be about 500 MW. The expansion projects (3rd and 4th  units) of OPGC are scheduled to be commissioned in 2017-18 and the entire power from these two units will  be available to the State, he said. The State Government has been putting pressure on the Centre to expedite  implementation of the proposed 4000 MW (5X800 MW) Ultra Mega Power  Project (UMPP) at Bedabahal. The States's share from the UMPP is 1300  MW. Besides, the National Thermal  Power Corporation (NTPC) is setting up of a 2X800 MW coal fired power plant at Darlipali in Sundargarh  district which is expected to be commissioned by 2018-19.

Stating that the State Government has taken up several minihydel projects, the Minister said efforts are on to  create potential for  generation of additional 250 MW of hydro-power. Initiating the debate, Anshuman Mohanty of Congress thanked the State Government for keeping the  power tariff unchanged. He, however, slammed the Government for allowing a private companies like Reliance Infrastructure Limited to loot the State.  Alleging that about `30,000 crore have been looted from Odisha during the last 16 years of the BJD Government, Mohanty said  the transmission and distribution loss of the State is still 42 per cent while the national average is about 20 per cent.  The consumers have to pay more tariff due to inefficiency of the Government in managing the power  sector, he said and sought to know why the Government is not initiating any action against the industries which have defaulted in their  power bill payment to the tune of `3000 crore.  Pradip Purohit of the BJP criticised the Government for the low voltage and unscheduled frequent  power cuts.

The Odisha government on Thursday said it has cleared investment proposals worth Rs.50,605.52 crore through the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) to set up 55 industries in the last three years.

Replying to a written question of legislator Ayub Khan, industry minister Debi Prasad Mishra on Thursday told the state assembly that 55 project proposals have been approved through the SLSWCA between 2013-16.

The projects includes a Rs.8,000 crore proposal of Mahanadi Basin Power, a Rs.7,500 crore proposal of Tata Power and a Rs.7,563 crore project of Utkal Alumina International Ltd.

Meanwhile, the state government has asked district collectors to properly implement the single window system at the district level.

Chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in a letter to all district collectors asked them to hold meetings of district level single window clearance authority (DLSWCA) and district level facilitation cells (DLFC) every month.

"It has been found during the meeting of the SLSWCA that these meeting are not being organised regularly in some districts. The collectors need to ensure that these meetings are organised regularly and effectively," said Padhi.

He said the DLSWCA and DLFC have the most critical role to play to promote MSMEs and ensure industrial development and generation of employment in the state.

Padhi also asked to ensure that all new proposals are submitted and processed through the e-biz portal.

Focusing on the Ease of Doing Business and to improve facilitation for the investors, the Odisha government has stressed on holding the district level single window clearance authority (DLSWCA) and district level facilitation cell (DLFC) meetings regularly at the district level.

DLSWCA, which clears projects up to Rs 50 crore, plays a critical role to play to promote MSMEs in the state and ensure industrial development and generation of employment in the state.

Similarly, DLFC is the entry point for small investors. It is a new concept introduced by the government as a move for Ease of Doing Business in the state and its effective functioning is essential to facilitate and handhold the investors in terms of making available the information regarding the state polices, process the proposals for theDLSWCA and ensure departmental coordination for removal of the difficulties faced by the new as well as existing units. The assessment of land and other utilities are also undertaken by the DLFC.

"The DLSWCA and DLFC meetings are required to be organized on a fixed day every month as the stipulated by the OIF (Odisha Industrial Facilitation) rules. Even if there is no proposal pertaining to new unit, the DLSWCA and DLFC meetings must be held regularly to review the progress of the already approved projects and sort out the bottlenecks being faced by the existing units," chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi wrote to all the district collectors.

Pointing out that the meetings are not conducted regularly in some districts, Padhi said that the collectors need to ensure DLSWCA and DLFC meetings are organized regularly and effectively.

Recently, the state has implemented the online submission and clearance of the combined application form (CAF) through e-Biz portal. Fourteen G2B (government to business) services are now provided on the online platform.

The collectors are also asked to share monthly progress reports on conduct of DLFC and DLSWCA meeting and functioning of e-Biz with the directorate of industries and the MSME department by the 10th of every month.

It may be noted that the Odisha government is taking conscious steps to improve its ranking in the on 'Ease of Doing Business' Index. Odisha ranked seventh

Appreciating the placement linked skill development training initiative of Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has advised all other States to adopt the Odisha model.

“The States are advised to follow the example of ORMAS in hiring Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) or community resources people (CRP) to mobilise unemployed rural youths for skill development and their placement,” said a recent communication from MoRD to the States.

Though Odisha Government has recommended for grant of Rs400 per GRS as incentive for mobilising unemployed youths for skill training, the Centre approved Rs600 per candidate.

Under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), the skilling and placement initiative of the MoRD, ORMAS has engaged GRS whose primary responsibility is to mobilise unemployed youths and counsel them for joining skill development training programme in trades of their choice.

Besides, the GRS coordinates with skill development coordinators at block level and the project implementing agencies (PIAs) for skill training of the registered youths.

The GRS is paid an additional incentive of Rs400 in phases from identification till placement of the candidate. The MoRD has approved another Rs200 for tracking the candidates after one year of placement.

“As most of the resource persons belong to the same community and village, it becomes easier for them to persuade the unemployed youths to take up skill training and keep track of them even after placement,” said ORMAS Executive Director BN Das.

About 86,000 unemployed youths were registered under DDU-GKY in 2015-16. While 36,000 of them were provided skill training in different trades, about 30,000 have been placed in different organisations. Nearly 13,000 trained youths have been working outside the State, he said.

Das said the scheme focuses on catering to the occupational aspirations of rural youths and enhancing their skills for wage employment. The trained youths have got employment in garment industry, hospitality and service sectors while some of them are self employed as electrician, plumber, mason or carpenter.

Department of Industries, in association with Department of MSME, Government of Odisha will be conducting awareness-cum-registration camps across 6 locations in the State to raise awareness about various business reforms for ease of doing business and provide on the spot registrations for the investors to avail he benefits of the various technological reforms.

After the successful completion of Odisha Investors’ Meet at Mumbai during the Make In India Week on 14th February 2016,the state is taking major steps to increase the awareness and inclusion of various entrepreneurs under the innovative reforms undertaken.

Odisha is the only state in India to have successfully integrated the combined application form for starting as industry with the eBiz portal, the online G2B portal of India. Odisha is striving to create an Industry ready land bank of 100,000 acres, which can be allotted to   investors without hassle and within timelines.

The State Government has extended invitation to the Hinduja Group of Companies to make Odisha their next investment destination.

The Hinduja Group with diversified business interest in banking and finance, transport, energy (oil and power), IT, media and telecom has been invited to set up manufacturing facility in petrochemicals, energy and automobiles sectors.

“The State is setting up a dedicated Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) at Paradip in Jagatsinghpur district over an area of 68,000 hectares. We invite Hinduja Group to be an anchor tenant in the PCPIR with investments in petrochemicals and energy sector,” Principal Secretary, Industries Sanjeev Chopra wrote to Co-Chairman of Hinduja Group Gopichand P Hinduja.

Stating that the Indian Oil Corporation’s 15 million tonne per annum refinery project was inaugurated at Paradip recently, Chopra said the national oil major is further implementing petrochemical units like polypropylene, monoethylene glycol, paraxylene-PTA and pet coke gasification in the complex.

The petrochemical complex will ensure committed and unmatched availability of feedstock to downstream units in the region, he said.

The State Government has also identified automobiles and auto components as one of the focused sector for investment. In terms of raw materials, the State has 50 per cent of the aluminium smelting and 20 per cent of steel making capacity, the letter said.

“Direct availability of molten metal from smelters is an attractive incentive and facilitation mechanism to promote the sector in the State. A large and growing domestic consumer market in the East provides a significant competitive advantage that is unique in Odisha,” Chopra said.

Assuring all kinds of support from the Government, the Principal Secretary invited Hinduja, who is also the Chairman, Hinduja Automotive Limited, United Kingdom, to visit the State to explore the possibility of investment in different sectors.

In a separate letter to Chairman, Hinduja Group of Companies (India) Ashok P Hinduja, Chopra has also made a similar request.

IDL Explosives Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation Limited of Hinduja Group, has explosives manufacturing factories in Rourkela and installations for storing non-explosive matrix at Barbil and Talcher for manufacturing projects for coal and iron ore mining industries.

The Odisha government has asked Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) to make equity contribution for the plastic parkproject coming up at Paradip in the vicinity of IOCL’s 15 million tonne crude oil refinery.
 
Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has already formed a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project titled Paradip Plastic Park Ltd to monitor the project, for which at least 120 acres has already been procured.
 
“As per the initial estimate, the plastic park will be set up at a cost of Rs 106.78 crore out of which Rs 40 crore will be available as grant-in-aid from the Government of India.  It is proposed that in view of the long-term partnership with IOCL in this venture, the project cost excluding the grants from the Government of India (Rs 66.78 crore) may be shared equally between Idco and IOCL”, Sanjeev Chopra, principal secretary, industries wrote to IOCL chairman.
 
The plastic park complex is expected to provide feedstock to downstream industries. It will also offer an assured market for IOCL’s refinery products. IOCL has already commissioned its crude oil refinery, investing around Rs 35,000 crore. The Paradip refinery product mix would consist of 37.5% high speed diesel, 25.3% motor spirits, 13.1% ATF, 5.2% propylene+LPG, 8.1% petroleum coke and 1.8% sulphur. The products will be predominantly consumed in the domestic market except a portion of motor spirits, which will be exported.
 
The IOCL refinery, its petrochemical complex, and the planned plastic park complex are an integral part of the PCPIR (petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals investment region) hub spread over an area of 284 sq km, straddling Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara districts in Odisha. The PCPIR hub is expected to attract investments to the tune of Rs 2.74 lakh crore. IOCL is the anchor tenant for the PCIR hub.

Aiming to ease the prolonged process of land acquisition for industries, the Odisha government has set a target to complete acquisition of 100,000 acres of land for industrial projects by June end this year.

Sanjeev Chopra, principal secretary (industries) and chairman of Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) has urged all district collectors to complete the process by the end of June.

"It is pertinent to mention that the state government has mandated Idco for creation of land bank of at least one lakh acres by June 30, 2016 to attract investors for establishment of industries in the state. The chief minister is also reviewing the progress from time to time", Chopra said in his letter to the district collectors.

Idco has already filed requisition for government land measuring 76,721.94 acres under Land Bank scheme in different districts. Out of the total filed area 12,698.93 acres has been prioritized as category A land for sanction of lease in favour of Idco. The balance 64,023.01 acres of land has been placed under category B and is to be kept reserved at the district level for industrial purpose.

Lands under Category A land bank would be leased out to Idco by the district collector on requisition as per the existing procedures under Odisha Government Land Settlement Act at prevailing IPR (Industrial Policy Resolution) rates for already selected industries, identified industrial clusters, industrial estates and industrial parks.

Before filing requisition for any industry, Idco would assess the actual requirement of land for the industry through an expert committee and share the same with the concerned collector and the department of revenue & disaster management.

For Category B land bank, Idco would place requisition to the collector to reserve suitable government land for industrial purposes.

In its bid to impart skill training to about two lakh youths in the next five years, the Odisha government today decided to set-up eight Advance Skill Development Training Institutes (ASTIs) in different places of the state.

This was discussed in the First General Body meeting of Odisha Skill Development Society (OSDS) held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary A P Padhi.

"It was decided to set up eight Skill Training Institutes in different parts of the state out of which six will on be on demonstration mode with major investment from the government and and two other on PPP mode," skill development secretary L N Gupta told reporters after the meeting.

The places which have been identified to house ASTIs are Angul, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Jeypore, Bolangir, Jharsuguda and Rourkela.

These institutes would impart skill training in 142 courses of 12 priority sectors of the government, Gupta said adding the scheme targets to train two lakh youths, impart advanced and finishing skills to 50,000 ITI pass outs and support skill training to 5,000 people for self employment.

Besides, customised skill up gradation training and certification would be provided to 25,000 skilled workforce in their respective trades under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) previsions, he said.

Gupta said the targeted group of the scheme includes unemployed IT pass outs, unemployed engineers, general graduates and polytechnic graduates. The project has been designed for five years and the estimated cost was around Rs 1,051 crore out of which the state government would provide one-third and the rest would be availed from Asian Development Bank as loan.

The Odisha Skill Development Society (OSDS) would be the nodal agency for implementation of the project and a General Body has been formed under chairmanship of the Chief Secretary for the purpose with representatives from Banks, Industries, Centre and agencies concerned. The Executive Committee has been formed under the chairmanship of the Development Commissioner.

Today's meeting also decided to constitute two sub-committees - Civil Construction Sub-Committee and Procurement Sub-Committee to look into various technical and financial aspects. AAM DKB

The Odisha government has lined up 12 new mineral blocks for auctions by September this year. All these blocks are at G3 level and survey work is underway for upgrading them to the G2 level to make them eligible for auctions.

Exploration of the blocks is being done by Geological Survey of India (GSI), Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd (MECL) and the state directorate of mines & geology.

"Out of 12 blocks listed for auctions, five to six are iron ore blocks. We will put them up for online auctions after exploration", said Deepak Mohanty, director of mines (Odisha).

Earlier, the state government had requested the central mines ministry to allow seven mineral blocks at G3 exploration stage for auctions for issue of composite license (prospecting license cum mining lease). The ministry, however, had allowed only two blocks which were explored up to the G2 level and hence, auction ready.

So far, the state government has auctioned only one iron ore block-Ghorhaburhani-Sagasahi iron ore block located in Koira sector in Sundargarh district. Essar Steel emerged as the successful bidder in the first iron ore block offered for e-auctions in Odisha. A robust bidding helped the steel maker to bag the block, upstaging strong contenders like Tata Steel, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) and JSW Steel.

The block, with deposits of 99.54 million tonne, has been reserved for integrated steel plant as end use and mining lease (ML) will be issued to the successful bidder.

The mineral concession area is spread over 139.16 hectares (ha) including 20.88 ha forest land, 110.69 ha government land and the balance 7.58 ha private land. Survey of the mineral block has been done by the GSI.

Stating that lack of required number of railway rake points is a major stumbling block for timely supply of required quantity of fertilisers to farmers, especially during the peak period, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday requested the Centre to open three new rake points and develop infrastructure in the existing ones for smooth supply of agri-products in the State.

In a letter to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar, the Chief Minister said Odisha required sufficient number of railway rake points to ensure smooth supply of fertilisers to various places in the State.

The State Government has proposed establishment of three new rake points at Bamur in Angul, Rengali in Sambalpur and Dunguripalli in Sonepur and provision of two rake points in six places.

The Chief Minister said the State is facing operational difficulties in the existing 21 rake points due to inadequate infrastructure. “Odisha uses only 60 kg of fertiliser per hectare (ha) agricultural land against national average of 160 kg per ha,” he said. A target has been set to increase fertiliser consumption to 90 km per ha during next five years.

Naveen said with coverage under high yielding and hybrid varieties increasing in the State, there is a need for enhancing the consumption level of fertilisers, both chemical and organic, to ensure sustainable crop production and high productivity.

The State Government has taken several steps, including provision of corpus funds for Odisha State Cooperative Marketing Federation (MARKFED) and Odisha Agro Industries Corporation (OAIC) for pre-positioning of fertilisers. Besides, steps have been taken for construction of godowns at primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS) level, he said.

“All such steps will require handling of a huge quantity of different chemical fertilisers at various points in Odisha since these are made available to the State at present from factories located at far off places in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and also through ports, mostly in AP,” he added.

The visit of Shri Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister for Industries, School and Mass Education, to the UAE proved to be a bonus to Odisha’s investment outlook. Shri Debi Prasad Mishra took the opportunity to promote Odisha as a fruitful investment destination for the global investors. He held a series of bilateral dialogues and meetings with eminent personalities and business forums of UAE.

One of the important angles of his tour was a luncheon meeting on 8th April hosted by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development, Govt. of UAE, at Abu Dhabi. Shri Mishra conveyed the greetings of the CM of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik and invited His Excellency to visit Odisha in order to strengthen ties between the two states.

Shri Mishra appraised him on the recent industrial policy and the various reforms and policy initiatives taken up by the state government, ease of doing business and to promote setting up new industries in the state. The potential areas of strategic partnership were discussed with focus on petrochemical and chemical, education, food processing and infrastructure development etc.

Shri Mishra addressed at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Dubai Chapter, on another day where over 400 professionals comprising of CEOs and CFOs attended the colloquium. There he spoke out on the reforms and policy initiatives taken up by the Govt. of Odisha, including the investment opportunities on the state. The meeting was held at Hotel Crown Plaza Auditorium, Dubai.

A meeting of eminent entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors was also organized at India Club, Dubai, wherein the Minister addressed the gathering highlighting the opportunities in Odisha. He also spelt out that in view of the strategic location of the state as a gateway to Asian countries, Odisha is favorably positioned to cater to the hinterland and has several competitive advantages such as long coastline, stable political environment and availability of abundant skilled workforce.

Sri Sanjay Pattnaik, Chairman CII Odisha Chapter and Executive Director, Tata Sponge, made a presentation highlighting the fiscal and non fiscal incentives as well as the ease of doing business in the state consequent to the industrial policy 2015.

Sri Arun Mishra, MD Tata Steel Gopalpur SEZ spoke about the salient features of Goplapur SEZ and urged the benefits of investing to the investors.

The meeting was also addressed by Shri Priyadarshi Mishra, MLA; Debasish Patnaik, Chairman, Invest Bhubaneswar who highlighted Bhubaneswar being ranked no.1 in the identified list of smart cities of India and the opportunities to invest in businesses in the areas of water and sanitation, green energy and solid waste management etc. Noted Odia personalities based out of Dubai like Akshaya Kumar Parija, Capt. Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Amiya Mishra and Kishore Das were also present at the event.

The State Government has decided to formulate a policy in a bid to put Odisha among top three start-up hubs in the country by 2020.

The draft policy, which has been put in the public domain, maintains that the State Government will create enabling environment and supporting eco-system to facilitate at least 1000 start ups during next five years. The policy will be notified after getting approval of the Cabinet.

The State Government will establish one or more start ups/innovation parks in Odisha as one-stop destination for start-ups, either on its own or in partnership with private sector.

The policy will encourage incubators including sector-specific ones aligning with the State’s strengths and requirements. The Government will take steps to provide skill-based training to encourage youths to take up start-ups.

Besides, the policy will encourage all major companies operating out of Odisha to include skill and infrastructure development for start-ups as an integral component of their CSR activities. The CSR funds of State public sector undertakings (PSUs) will be channelised and utilised for development of start-ups/innovation parks in compliance with the Companies Act, 2013. The policy will remain in operation for five years from the date of its notification or until substituted by another policy, whichever is earlier. Official sources maintained that the policy will provide incentives and exemptions above the start-up policy of the Centre and any other existing policy in the State.

Realising the importance of quality infrastructure required for creating successful start-ups, the Government will encourage creation of world-class incubators in universities/institutions, research and development and industry.

The Government will encourage universities and educational institutions, which are in existence for at least five years and approved by State level implementation committee, to support and mentor innovators. Such approved institutions will be eligible for a one-time grants towards capital items upto `50 lakh to set up incubator facility.

The approved incubators will also be eligible for performance capital grant of `5 lakh for each successful start-up they incubate. Besides, approved industrial houses will be eligible for a performance capital grant of `5 lakh for each successful start-up they create.

The policy will be implemented by a two-tier Government structure, a start-up council/State level implementation committee to headed by Chief Secretary and a task force-based review mechanism headed by the Secretary in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Department.

The State Government on Friday offered logistic support to the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers for establishment of a National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) in Odisha.

The State Government has set up a bio-technology park over an area of 64 acre in the Capital City and is in the process of setting up pharma and medical device parks in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a letter to Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar.

“Hence, setting up a NIPER in Odisha would be in the fitness of the overall scheme of development of pharmaceutical sector in this region with a view to train future teachers, research scientists and professionals for the industry,” Naveen said.

Naveen requested the Union Minister to consider setting up a centre in Odisha at the earliest.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday urged the Centre to include more projects in the Draft National Perspective Plan (NPP) for comprehensive development of the coastline and the maritime sector under the Sagarmala initiative.

Participating in the second National Sagarmala Apex Committee meeting in New Delhi, the chief minister said while Odisha had furnished nine proposals including four road connectivity projects, four rail connectivity projects and an industrial park at Dhamra, only two proposals have been included in NPP.

He urged union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping minister Nitin Gadkari that other connectivity proposals and the industrial park proposed earlier should also be included in the NPP.

He, however, suggested that the road and rail connectivity projects for Dhamra and Gopalpur ports need to be taken up on priority.

The chief minister said three additional projects including a riverine port on the Mahanadi river, Petrochemicals Cluster at Paradip and Steel Cluster at Kalinganagar may also be approved for inclusion under Sagarmala.

He impressed upon the minister to provide adequate funds under Coastal Community Development Fund to enhance socio-economic condition of fishermen in the coastal districts and to evolve a clear funding pattern under the Sagarmala initiative.

Informing that the hinterland of Odisha is rich with mineral and other natural resources and the state is endowed with a long coastline of 480 km, the chief minister said Odisha has formulated an investor friendly port policy to attract private investment for the development of ports at identified sites in the state.

He added that the development of ports along Odisha's coast will play a vital role in the development of the state and neighbouring land-locked states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar and provide multiple exit and landing points for export and import.

These developed ports will act as important National Maritime Trade gateways of India, he stated.

He also highlighted that the port based coastal economic zones and industrial parks will lead to the growth of competitive port based industries and ensure sustainable development of population living in the vicinity of ports.

He said that many developers have come forward for the development of ports in Public Private Partnership mode because of the investor-friendly port policy of the state.

Patnaik said that Dhamra Port developed by Dhamra Port Company Limited has commenced commercial operations of phase-I of the project with a capacity of 25 million tonnes per annum in May, 2011.

Further, the process is underway for the second phase development of Dhamra Port with a capacity of 109 million tonnes per annum entailing an investment of Rs.10,000 crore, he added.

Similarly, the fair weather port of Gopalpur has been converted to all weather direct berthing port which is now operational, he added. Further, the land acquisition process is ongoing for the development of another two non major ports in Odisha including Subarnarekha Mouth Port and Astarang Port.

Gadkari assured that every effort will be made to prioritise port development in Odisha including development of special economic zones and connecting ports to the hinterland by railways and road.

The Centre's green panel has given clearance to Tata Steel for diversion of about 199 hectare of forest land for expansion of its iron ore mining project in Keonjhar district, Odisha.

"The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under the Union Environment Ministry examined Tata Steel's proposal during last month's meeting and recommended granting forest clearance," a senior government official said.

The FAC has suggested that the ministry should give final clearance subject to some conditions, the official added.

Normally, the ministry gives final nod to projects based on the recommendations of the FAC.

As per the proposal, the company has sought permission for diversion of 199.1 hectare of forest land, including 2.2 hectare for safety zone, for iron ore mining and allied activities in Katamani mines in Deojhar and Thakurani Reserved Forest, Keonjhar district.

Out of the total forest land proposed to be diverted, 57.55 hectare is reserved forest. As many as 49,600 trees are required to be felled in the virgin forest land.

Total cost of expansion of Katamani iron ore mine project is estimated at Rs 45 crore up to production level of 5 million tonnes per annum.

The iron ore produced from the Katamani mine will be supplied to steel plants of Tata Steel and its group companies. This mine is one of the major sources of supply of high grade iron ore to its largest plant in Jamshedpur.

Tata Steel has manufacturing operations in 26 countries and employs around 80,500 people.

The Centre will soon initiate a fresh bidding process for the ambitious Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP) proposed at Bedabahal in Sundargarh district. The Union ministry of power recently informed the state government about it.

The Rs 30,000-crore UMPP is likely to generate 4,000 MW of power.

In January last year, the Centre scrapped the bidding process for two UMPP projects, including the one in Odisha, following poor response from private players.

Official sources said the Union ministry of power had finished preparing the standard bidding document (SBD) for the project and it would soon be placed before the cabinet for approval following which the bidding process will start.

The Odisha government had earlier objected to the SBD as it held the host state responsible for delay in implementation of the project.

According to the new SBD, the state government would be penalized for delay in acquisition of land, obtaining statutory clearances and getting necessary administrative approvals for the project.

"As a host state, we have already submitted out views and concerns related to the SBD. We hope the Centre would include them in the final tender papers," said an energy department officer.

Initially, private players like Adani Power, CLP India, GMR Energy, Jindal Steel and Power, JSW Energy and Sterlite Energy had evinced interest in the Bedabahal project. The private companies, however, pulled out of it due to hurdles in getting finance from banks.

On March 28, chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to start the bidding process for the project.

The UMPP in Odisha would be developed through two special purpose vehicles - Odisha Integrated Power Ltd and Odisha Infra Power Ltd - both subsidiaries of Power Finance Corporation Ltd, a central PSU.

The Sundargarh district administration has acquired most of the required lands and handed them over to Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation. The state government has also contributed Rs 350 crore towards the project, the sources added.

Despite slow progress in setting up of industrial projects, Odisha seems to have hit the halfway mark in its much-hyped industrialisation scheme, with partial implementation of 46 of 92 projects.

According to the State Industries Department, 46 industrial projects have gone into partial production by grounding an investment of Rs.2,53,789 crore.

Of these 46 projects, 36 are steel plants, four thermal power projects, two cement plants and three in the aluminium sector.

The State government had signed memorandums of understanding with 92 companies over the past decade for setting up of projects like steel and power plants.

These companies have pledged a mammoth investment of Rs.5,68,239.49 crore in the State. However, promoters have withdrawn from six of the projects.

As per information furnished by Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra in State Assembly recently, companies that have spent over Rs.20,000 crore include Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Angul, Bhushan Steel Limited, Meramundali, Tata Steel, Kalinganagar, Vedanta Aluminium, Aditya Aluminium and Indian Oil Corporation Limited.

The industries have also created 1,52,398 employment opportunities.

However, sources in industries said the number of projects that have started partial production may be painting a misleading picture.

After grounding projects, many promoters are reluctant to go for realisation of full capacity reported in the MoUs mostly due to uncertainty in supply of raw materials.

The Department pointed out that Rs.3,14,449.46 crore of investment in rest of the projects is in different stages of implementation.

Most of these projects are entangled in land acquisition issues.

The Odisha government needs over 60,000 acres of land in order to facilitate ongoing development projects, including industrial ventures.

In response to a query, State Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra informed the State Assembly on Thursday that the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL) had assessed land requirement for different projects and as per the assessment, nearly 55,000 acres would be required by industries alone.

Applications have been moved for acquisition of 56,797 acres. Ironically, 36,779 acres belongs to private individuals. Mr. Mishra added that 18,607 acres has already been allotted to project executing agencies.

Jindal Steel and Power Limited in Angul district, Bhushan Steel Limited in Dhenkanal, Tata Steel Limited in Jajpur and Vedanta Aluminium Limited Jharsuguda are the major industrial projects whose land requirement has been assessed as above 3,000 acres each. Indian Oil Corporation has also been allotted 3,351 acres.

The government has made a big move to create a land bank for industries and important projects in the State. At present, the Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) has identified a massive 2,37,425 acres as having potential for becoming part the land bank project.

The Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, a nodal agency for providing industrial projects, has filed a requisition proposal for 79,025 acres of land, both government and non-government, with different revenue departments.

Mr. Mishra said that in order to attract investments in industrial projects and ensure timely take up of industries as per the Industrial Policy Resolution 2015, the government had decided to identify suitable patches of land, both government and private, in areas having industrial potential and future requirement to keep it under one basket with a ‘ready-to-use’ status.

The Odisha Government has taken initiative to develop the State into “Manufacturing Hub of East” so accordingly Policy Frameworks are in place, which will help out the investors.

Speaking at the Defexpo 2016, Principal Secretary Industries Sanjeev Chopra  said the Policies including IPR2015 and SEZ Policy 2015 will facilitate setting up industries in the State. State of Odisha is participating in the ongoing DefExpo 2016 at Goa as the Partner State, which was inaugurated by Union Minister Defence Manohar Parrikar. Mr.Chopra made a presentation in the Defence Offset Seminar on March 29, which covered the policy enablers: IPR 2015 and SEZ Policy 2015 and the industrial infrastructure available in the State.

The Policy on setting up industrial parks in the private sector was also detailed out. Earlier in the day, Odisha also participated in the INDIA-UK round table organised by CII and the Association of Defence Industries of UK.

The range of investment opportunities in Odisha were highlighted in both the events. It is relevant to mention that Odisha has 17% share of live investments in the country as per the recent report published by ASSOCHAM.

Defexpo India 2016, is the ninth in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Homeland Security Systems Exhibition, being held at Goa, from 28-31 March 2016.  It has been organised by Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India. At the inaugural session, the Defence Minister Mr.Parrikar unveiled the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2016.

The revised DPP envisages providing a boost to the “Make in India” initiative, enhance role of private sector.  It also has a new category called Indigenous Design Development and Manufacturing (IDDM) under which equipments with minimum 40% indigenously designed and manufactured components will be given topmost priority.  This is expected to benefit states like Odisha which have conducive ecosystem for manufacturing in Defence sector.

The seminar was also addressed by Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Minister, Govternment of Madhya Pradesh, Department of Commerce, Industry and Employment, Baba Kalyani, Chairman CII National Committee, Bharat Harbanslal Khera, Joint Secretary Defence Offset Management Wing, Department of Defence Production and Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence. 

At the sidelines of the seminar, Odisha received investment enquiries from Rolls Royce, Lockheed Martin, Bharat Forge, Chivaro Technologies, Samtel and Ashok Leyland. Impressed by the presentation of Mr.Chopra, it came to for that Top Investors like Baba Kalyani, CMD Bharat Forge and Phil Shaw, CEO Lockheed Martin are expected to visit Odisha soon to carry the discussion forward. 

The state government starts receiving investment proposals through the e-Biz portal, an online platform to expedite statutory clearances. Of the three investment proposals cleared by the state level single window clearance authority (SLSWCA) on Saturday, two were received through the e-biz portal.

The SLSWCA approved three investment proposals worth Rs 276 crore which would generate employment opportunities for around 500 people. 

The panel headed by chief secretary A P Padhi approved the proposal of Tata Sponge Iron Limited at Bilaipada in Keonjhar district to augment the capacity of its 12 MW captive power plant to 24.5 MW by investing Rs 80 crore. It would create direct employment opportunities for around 50 people.

The proposal of Beekay Steel Industries Limited to set up a rolling mill plant at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district also received government nod. The plant would invest Rs 105 crore by creating direct employment opportunities for 100 people.

The SLSWCA also approved a proposal of Saraf Agencies Private Limited to add one scandium and ferro-titanium plant to its ongoing titanium slag plant and titanium dioxide facility at Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.

Scandium is a rare earth material used in aerospace and defence products. The agency would invest Rs 90 crore for setting up of the project. It would create employment opportunity for 154 people.

"Except Beekay Steel, the other two proposals were received through the e-Biz portal on March 8. The projects were approved within 20 days through online. There would be no physical interference to obtain statutory clearances for these projects," said general manager, Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited, Kalyan Mohanty after the SLSWCA meeting.

On February 14, chief minister Naveen Patnaik launched the e-Biz portal during the Make in India event in Mumbai. It was launched to provide a one-stop platform for all investment and business related services thereby reducing physical interface with various offices, official sources said. On the occasion, the chief secretary also reviewed the status of different projects and asked different administrative departments to clear the bottlenecks faced by them in a time bound manner

The Odisha government today asked IPICOL and State Level Technical Committee to make realistic assessment of the land and water to be allotted for the new industries. 

The issue was raised in a meeting of the State Level Single Window Authority (SLSWA) presided over by Chief Secretary A P Padhi as it was often alleged that companies demand more land and water than the actual requirement. The Authority also reviewed the reports sent by the District Level Single Window Committees in the meeting. Padhi directed that the district level committees should sit regularly and follow up the sanctioned projects, an official of IPICOL said. 

Further, IPICOL (Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited) was advised to simplify the format through which the district committees would submit the reports, an official release said. Meanwhile, SLSWA along with the members of the State Project Monitoring Group (SPMG) also reviewed the progress of earlier approved investment proposals. 

The major projects reviewed today included Gandhamardhan-B mining project of OMC, Lean slurry project of NALCO, Aditya Almunium Project, steel plant project by Bhusan Steel, project Emami Cement Ltd and NTPC Talcher Super Thermal Power Station in Kaniha. 
 

Issues pertaining to compensatory afforestation, land acquisition, forest diversion, construction of approach road, setting up sub-stations, power supply to new units, use of water and other facilities also came up in the meeting. 
 

Bhubaneswar, 26th March: The State Level single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) held under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Aditya Parsad Padhi today in secretariat conference hall accorded in principle approval to 3 investment proposals of worth Rs.276.75 cr.

The Chief Secretary advised IPICOL and State Level Technical committee to make realistic assessment of the land and water to be allotted to the newly coming up industries. Sri Padhi also directed to make a field level check of the actual land and water use being done by the industries. Principal Secretary, Industry Sanjeeb Chopra presented the proposed projects and outlined the issues for discussion.

Replying to a media query after the meeting, the General manager IPICOL, Kalyan Mohanty said that the approved projects included the proposals of M/S Tata Sponge Iron to set up 12.5 12.5 MW additional captive power plant at Belipada of Keonjhar district with investment of Rs 80 cr, M/S Beekay Steel Foundation to set up 0.30 MTPA Rolling Mill (TMT bars ) at Kalinganagar Industrial area involving investment of Rs 105.87 cr and M/S Saraf Agencies Pvt Ltd to set up scandium oxide plant of 2.4.ITA capacity and Ferro Titanuim Plant of 5000 TPA capacity at Chhatrapur of Ganjam district with investment of Rs.90.97 cr.  Kalyan Mohanty also revealed that e-biz system has been made functional and the investment proposals are now being received through this online portal. Various clearances and approvals are also being issued to the project developers through this portal.

The Authority also reviewed the reports sent by the District Level single Window Committees.  Chief Secretary Sri Padhi directed that the district level committees should sit regularly and should also follow up grounding of the already sanctioned projects. IPICOL was advised to simplify the formats through which the district committees would submit the reports.  More powers were delegated to district level committees and State Level Facilitation Centers.

SLSWA along with the members of the State Project Monitoring Group (SPMG) also reviewed the progress of earlier approved investment proposals. The major projects reviewed included RSB transmission (I) Pvt.Ltd, Gandhamardhan – B mining project of OMC, Daitari Mining project of OMC, south Kalipani Mining project (OMC), Lean slurry project of NALCO, M/S Tosali Cement prt. Ltd., M/S Aditya Almunium Project, creation of logistic facilities for integrated steel plant by Bhusan steel Ltd., establishment of ash pond of Odisha Power Generation Corporation Ltd,  Emami Cement Ltd and NTPC Talcher Super Thermal Power station, Kaniha. The issues relating to DGPS survey, compensatory afforestation, land acquisition, forest diversion, construction of approach road, setting up sub-stations, power supply to new units, use of water etc were discussed and resolved in the meeting.

Principal Secretary Forest & Environment Sri Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Principal Secretary Steel & Mines Raj Kumar Sharma, Principal Secretary Energy Rajesh Verma, MD GRIDCO Hemant Sharma, MD OMC Vineel Krishna Singh along with senior officers from concerned departments and respective project proponents participated in the discussions.

Industrial projects bound by MoUs (memorandum of understanding) with the Odisha government have invested Rs 2.53 lakh crore on their projects. Of the 92 projects that have MoU commitments, 46 have commenced partial or full-scale production, generating employment for over 150,000 persons.

Of the 92 MoUs, the steel sector has the lion's share at 48, with 40 companies starting production. Bhushan Steel Ltd, Bhushan Steel & Power Ltd, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL), Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL), Tata Steel and Essar Steel are the major producers. Steel sector has seen investments of over Rs 1.2 lakh crore.

In the power sector, projects have been commissioned byVedanta Group owned Sesa Sterlite, GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd and Jindal India Thermal Power Ltd (JITPL).

Vedanta has also started partial production from its proposed six million tonne alumina refinery at Lanjigarh and 1.60 mtpa aluminium smelting facility at Jharsuguda. Aditya Birla Group-owned Hindalco Industries has also commenced production from its 0.36 mtpa aluminium smelter near Sambalpur.

In the petroleum sector, oil major Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has commissioned its biggest grassroots refinery of 15 mtpa at Paradeep. IOCL has invested Rs 34555 crore on the crude oil refinery, creating employment for 12238 people.

Since the opening up of reforms in the country, Odisha has emerged as the preferred destination for investors, drawing investments worth Rs 15 lakh crore.

To attract more investment, the state government recently launched a new logo, Invest Odisha.

Odisha is now looking beyond the metals and mining sectors and has identified some thrust sectors, including chemicals, plastics, petrochemicals, downstream and ancillary, agro and sea food processing, electronics manufacturing and textiles for new investments.

It has unveiled the latest edition of its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR), 2015 that aims to ease business procedures and aims to pull Rs 1.73 lakh crore new investments by 2019.

Industry body ASSOCHAM on Friday said Odisha secured top position accounting highest share in total live investments attracted by manufacturing sector in India which is worth Rs.33 lakh crore.

“Odisha has 17 per cent share in total live investment. Gujarat has ranked second in terms of share in total outstanding investments attracted by manufacturing sector followed by Karnataka (11 per cent), Jharkhand (nine per cent) and Chhattisgarh (seven per cent),” noted the study titled ‘Impact analysis of delay in investment implementation in manufacturing,’ conducted by the industry body.

According to ASSOCHAM, the manufacturing sector in India attracted live investments worth about Rs.33 lakh crore, about one-fifth of the total live investments worth over Rs.164 lakh crore attracted by various sectors across India as of September 2015.

“Metal and metal products alone accounted for almost half (48 per cent) of the total live investments attracted by manufacturing sector in India followed by chemicals and chemical products (24 per cent), machinery (8 per cent), transport equipment (7 per cent), construction material (7 per cent), food and agro based products (three per cent),” the reported noted.

“In Odisha, metal and metal products have acquired over 79 per cent share in total investments attracted by manufacturing sector followed by chemical and chemical products (15 per cent), transport equipment (3 per cent), construction material (one per cent),” it pointed out.

However in Odisha, about 39 per cent of manufacturing sector projects have remained under implementation as of September 2015. Delayed projects facing cost escalation have maximum share of 31 % in Odisha followed by Karnataka, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

The alumina downstream space received another proposal from Grid Conductors Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL). The company would invest Rs 127.35 crore on the aluminium conductor unit, also coming up at the Angul aluminium park.

In the power sector, the state government okayed the plan by Mahandai Aban Power Company Ltd to expand capacity of its power plant from 1,030 Mw to 1,320 Mw. The project cost is pegged at Rs 8,000 crore. The expansion plan of RPG Group controlled CESC Ltd to expand capacity of its proposed project from 1,000 Mw to 130 Mw also got the nod of the government.

Odisha also got its maiden gas based power plant proposal from JGreen Power Pvt Ltd. The 423 Mw LNG based power station has been proposed at Dhamra and is estimated to cost Rs 3,106 crore.

In the steel sector, the state received a flurry of proposals in pellet manufacturing. Iron ore rich Keonjhar district as bagged four new pellet projects with a combined capacity of over five million tonne per annum (mtpa). Overall investment on these plants proposed, exceeds Rs 5,300 crore.

Steel sector has another proposal by Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) that has proposed a one mtpa beneficiation plant at Tensa, entailing a cost of Rs 90.60 crore.

Cement has new proposals by JSW Cement and Ramco Cements. JSW Cement is keen on 1.2 mtpa cement grinding unit at Kalinganagar in Jajpur district. The project is tipped to cost Rs 318 crore. Similarly, Ramco Cements Ltd would set up 1.2 mtpa cement unit within the premises of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA) at Choudwar near Cuttack. The company has committed an investment of Rs 406 crore.

After achieving seventh position in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ indices at national level, Odisha is making all out efforts to improve its ranking and be among the first three States.

Chairing a high-level review meeting in the Secretariat on Saturday, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi directed departments concerned to expedite the implementation of remaining reform agenda. Timeline was set for compliance to each of the action points.

Compliance to reform agenda of Commercial Tax, Energy, Labour and Employees’ State Insurance, Industries, Law, Revenue and Disaster Management, State Pollution Control Board, Water Resources, Housing and Urban Development departments was reviewed. It was found that about 70 per cent of the reform agenda was achieved.

Some of the departments like Water Resources, Forest and Environment, Industries and Commercial Tax have achieved more than 87 per cent of their target.

Of 340 reform points suggested for making the process of doing business more facilitative and proactive, 30 points are not applicable for the State, official sources said.

So far, around 225 action points have been complied with. The Chief Secretary directed the departments to expedite implementation of remaining actionable points and ensure 100 per cent compliance within the scheduled time. A majority of the action points has been scheduled for compliance within March 31.

According to a recent World Bank assessment, Bhubaneswar is ranked third best city in the country to do business.

This has been also reflected in the latest mobile app of ‘Odisha New Opportunities’ launched by the Industries Department.

It was decided at the meeting that State updates would be uploaded regularly in the central web portal on ease of doing business for reflecting Odisha’s competitive position at national level.

The State Government has recently launched an ‘e-Biz’ portal with an aim to minimise physical interfaces and give approvals online to the investors.

Tata Steel is in discussion with foreign companies for investments up to Rs 20,000 crore in heavy industries over the next five years at its Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project at Gopalpur in Odisha. 

"We believe we should be able to get foreign investment between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 crore over the next five years at the Gopalpur SEZ," Tata Steel SEZ Managing Director Arun Misra told PTI here last night. 

"We are currently in discussions with 13 to 14 different investors. Talks are at various levels," he said at the 'Emerging India Forum 2016' in Singapore.  The investment will be in defence, metal downstream and electronics as well as chemicals and pharmaceuticals among others, Misra, who is marketing the Gopalpur SEZ as a gateway to the South East Asian markets, said. 

Tata Steel is the anchor tenant for the multi-product 2,970-acre SEZ at Gopalpur in Odisha. The UK-based Midget Corporations is setting up an assembly plant for "unmanned aerial vehicle targets" which are used by army for firing practices. 

Singapore consultant Subrana Jurong has completed the SEZ's master plan with all land cleared for leasing within the 30 square km boundary. "All master-planning has been done, the entire area has been cleared, there is no encumbrance," Misra said. 

Basic utilities and road infrastructure has already been built in early development of the zone which has Tata Steel's ferrochrome plant.  The Gopalpur SEZ, just off the National Highway 5, will be based on a Singapore model for industrial development which offers land parcels of various sizes for industries, he said. 

Tata Steel SEZ will invest between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 crore by 2020 in the Gopalpur SEZ, for which a Tata Power power plant proposal is also on the drawing board. The company is also discussing a possible investment in expansion of Gopalpur port, about five kms away from the zone. 

"We want to show that if you plan well and provide infrastructure, SEZ can be successful," Misra added. 
 

The Odisha government has sought final approval for the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) to be developed at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district.

The state government has recently requested the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Union ministry of commerce and industry to give the final nod for NIMZ. The in-principle approval was accorded by DIPP in August 2015.

“The detailed project report (DPR) prepared by Idco (Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation), the nodal agency for implementation of the project, has been forwarded to the Centre for developing the zone spreading over 163 square kms”, said an official.

The project will be developed in three phases in 15 years with an investment of Rs 10000 crore for the internal and external infrastructure. Out of the total figure, the state government expects Rs 5,000 crore from the Centre and the balance will be invested by the state and private partners.

The NIMZ is expected to attract at investment of Rs 1.1 lakh crore and generate an employment of 4.5 lakh after the completion of the project. The manufacturing zone is expected to attract investment from varied sectors like metal and mines, automotive, steel and downstream industries.

It may be noted that the NIMZ would be a combination of production units, public utilities, logistics, environmental protection mechanism, residential areas and administrative services.

Such zones would have a processing area where the manufacturing facilities along with associated logistics and other services as well as required infrastructure will be located.

The processing area may include one or more Special Economic Zones (SEZs), industrial parks, warehousing zones and export oriented units.

Besides, there will be a non-processing area to include residential, commercial and other social and institutional infrastructure.

The Odisha Government has paved the way for industries to acquire land in irrigated command areas to set up shop. But the corporates would have to pay for compensatory irrigation.

In a new set of guidelines, the Water Resources Department has stipulated that irrigated areas or land for which canal systems have already been designed should not be ordinarily used for industrial purpose unless an industry has made investment in the location and it is impossible to avoid irrigation command area completely on ground of continuity.

If such land is acquired or directly procured for establishment of industry, the project proponent will bear the cost of compensatory irrigation, which in such a case, would be double the ayacut lost.

The Department has also made it mandatory for the industry to provide irrigation if its project intercepts a canal system. “If a canal system is intercepted by the industry depriving irrigation to downstream ayacut, the project proponent has the responsibility to provide irrigation facilities either by diverting the canal or by pumping. All costs of such diversion, including cost of additional land and pumping, shall be paid by the industry,” the guidelines said.

If canal diversion and pumping are not possible, the industry will have to compensate for the loss of such irrigation at the rate of twice the downstream ayacut.

The Water Resources Department has made it clear that the compensatory irrigation will have to be created in the same project area where the ayacut is lost by extending a canal system, if possible, or through pumped irrigation. In case either of the two is not possible, creation of the new ayacut will be done through Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation in the same same block or district. In case lift irrigation is not possible in the same district, a neighbouring district will be considered.

The cost of compensatory irrigation will be calculated on current costs. Since compensatory irrigation takes at least three years, the project proponent will be charged 25 per cent extra.

While the new guidelines will be applicable to fresh cases as well as industries where diversion of irrigated command area is not yet completed, the cost will be deposited with the IDCO. An agreement will have to be executed for compensatory irrigation.

 Odisha Government has proposed to set up five food processing corridors to draw investment into agro and food processing sectors in the State.

The corridors are Nabrangpur-Koraput-Raygada, Gajapati-Ganjam-Kandhamal, Bargarh-Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Deogarh, Nayagarh-Khurda-Cuttack and Bhadrak-Balasore-Mayurbhanj belts. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would make the announcement on establishment of the food processing corridors on March 5, State MSME Minister Jogendra Behera said here on Thursday.

The move comes in the wake of interest shown by both national and multinational companies in investing in food processing industry in Odisha during the recent Make In India week at Mumbai. Odisha has pitched food processing sector to investors and received positive commitment by several majors in the sector.

The State Government will extend all support to industries in the field here. It will provide the infrastructure required for setting up food processing industries along the corridor right from roads, power, water, connectivity, storage and extend facilitation services from farm gate to industry. 

While the Government has earmarked `15 crore for infrastructure development in each corridor, it has also committed to streamline systems of raw material procurement, pre-processing facilities, proper preservation and supply to the industries concerned.

The corridors would be built on agro and horticulture strength of the region concerned. Maize products would be dominant in KBK districts and ginger, turmeric and spices in Kandhamal belt. The corridors would host clusters attending to different food processing segments.

Odisha has immense potential for food processing as only around 0.7 per cent of the total agricultural produce is processed. The State aims to increase the rate of food processing to 10 per cent of total produce by 2017 and 25 per cent by 2025 and has accorded priority to the sector. “The industries will be given 33 per cent subsidy in KBK districts and 25 per cent in others,” MSME Secretary Gagan Dhal said.

The MSME Department has decided to observe birth centenary of Biju Patnaik by organising the 12th Entrepreneurs Week from March 5 to 11. The week would involve seminars, workshops, camps and training sessions from State to district level to motivate youths to take up entrepreneurship.

Inviting National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) to establish its campus in the state, the Odisha government said it is contemplating to set up a dedicated pharmaceutical cluster in the industrial estates around Bhubaneswar.

AP Padhi, Chief Secretary, Odisha, informed the state’s plan at a recently held meeting with executive members of the Pharmaceutical Council of India (PCI) in Bhubaneswar.

The issues relating to establishment of pharma industries in Odisha, strengthening of pharma sector, capacity building of pharmacists and inviting NIPER to set up its campus in the state were discussed in the meeting, an official said.

The members of the council also proposed to run a bridge course for diploma pharmacist serving in government, particularly in rural areas. The training, they said, would result in better performance and service delivery to the people.

Padhi, on behalf of the state government assured the PCI members that the government would provide all support to the companies who would set up employment intensive enterprises in the state.

Sanjiv Chopra, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Odisha, informed the PCI members about the facilities and incentives being provided by the state government for setting up pharma production units along with research and development activities.

Chopra said pharma industry has been categorised under priority sector in the IPR Policy, 2015 of the state government.

Provisions have been made for allotment of land under subsidised rate, capital grant to support quality infrastructure, interest subsidy, quick and easy power supply, reimbursement of value added tax, reimbursement of entry tax, financial assistance for technical know-how, entrepreneurship development subsidy, environment protection infrastructure subsidy, subsidy for patent registration and quality certification, he said.

This apart, other supports like anchor tenant subsidy, land for worker’s hostel and capital subsidy for plant and machinery, online availability of the necessary clearances and certificates within stipulated time etc would also be available to the entrepreneurs coming up for establishment of new units.

The Odisha government has set a target of creating 1.5 lakh MSME units with an employment potential of more than four lakh jobs within the next five years, said Governor S.C. Jamir on Tuesday.

"As of now, more than 1.60 lakh MSME units have been established in our state with an investment of Rs.7,900 crore which have been instrumental in providing employment opportunities to more than 8.5 lakh youths of my state," he said in his address to the budget session of state assembly here.

Jamir said the state government has already facilitated establishment of 32,938 units with parallel employment opportunities for 101,885 youths. The government is also attempting to strengthen Export Promotion and Marketing Directorate, Odisha Small Industries Corporation and Odisha State Finance Commission to establish an integrated framework to augment the growth and sustenance of this sector, he added.

Under the Chief Minister's Employment Generation Programme, the government aims to upgrade the skill of 150 youth from every panchayat and ensure their placement. "Overall, my government has set a target to train 9.3 lakh youths across 6,234 gram panchayats and 1.7 lakh youths from the urban areas in next four years," said Jamir.

Announcing plans to set up 38,000 MSME units providing about one lakh jobs in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today said industrialisation must be participatory and it should ensure inclusive growth of all sections of the society. 

"It is proposed to take up new initiatives for growth of MSME sector. These include steps to set up 38,000 MSME units with employment of about one lakh persons," Patnaik said at the launch of 12th Entrepreneurs' Week which commemorates the Birth Centenary of legendary Biju Patnaik.

It is also proposed to take initiative for the development of 10 food parks in the state for the growth of food processing sector, he said adding there would be five food processing corridors covering potential districts. 

Similarly, ten livelihood business incubators in the potential districts would be set up for development of livelihood by way of gradation and use of local skill, while five new village industries clusters would be developed by Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board Patnaik said.

Maintaining that economic development of a state goes hand in hand with industrial development, the chief minister said MSMEs were important players of industrialisation which propeled the growth of economy and pace of development. 
Listing initiatives taken by the government to promote MSMEs, Patnaik said while MSME Development Policy 2009 was unveiled, Odisha Food Processing Policy 2013, Odisha Procurement Preferential Policy 2015 and Export Policy 2015 were created to encourage innovation. 

Industrial Policy Resolution 2015 was launched with a plethora of incentives to attract investment, while state government had introduced online facilities to provide basic infrastructure support like land, power and water, he said. 

"It is my firm belief that the process of industrialisation must be participatory and transparent and it must foster inclusive growth of all sections. I hope that this collaborative effort will ultimately rekindle our heritage of entrepreneurship," Patnaik said. 
 

With an aim to make Odisha one of the top three investment destinations in India Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a 10 year 'industrial development policy - 2025' at 'Make in India' week on Sunday.

Patnaik said the new policy will help the state attract an investment of 2.25 lakh crore over the next 10 years and create 10 lakh jobs, making the mineral-rich state a manufacturing hub of the east coast.

 "It presents a paradigm shift with government acting as an enabler to aid industrial growth. It aims at sustainable manufacturing and employment generation," said the chief minister.

The policy aims at increasing the ease of doing business by providing infrastructure, land and some funding.

The state is setting up infrastructure development fund of Rs. 100 crore, and has decided to tap the expertise and experience of the private sector for the implementation of industrial townships and parks. Patnaik also said that the state had Odisha had ready-to-use 1 lakh acre land for the industries waiting for appropriate infrastructure.

"Odisha witnessed a robust economic growth of over 8% last year and expects to grow at 12% by 2020. The government's efforts to expand the industrial base and promote value addition are triggering economic growth," said Patnaik.

The state government unveiled several e-governance initiatives at the Odisha state seminar at 'Make in India'. These e-governance websites aim to bring down corruption by reducing physical contact with the bureaucracy, and encouraging transparency by putting out all information on the website. The common inspection platform online synchronizes inspections of 3 departments, while the e-biz platform helps industries get approval, make payment and seek renewal from 14 state departments online.

The Odisha government is also working on a policy that will aid and encourage startups in the state. The state has roped in home-grown entrepreneur and founder of Oyo Rooms Ritesh Agarwal to assist it in formulating the policy.

"Recognizing the importance of new economic industries my government is coming up with attractive investment framework. The government is finalizing new startup policy to boost startup ecosystem in the state," said Patnaik.

To provide fillip to startup ecosystem and make Bhubaneshwar a startup hub Odisha will give 4.5 lakh square feet ready-to move facility to startups in the capital city.

Tata Steel SEZ today said it plans to invest about Rs 2,000-2,500 crore for development of infrastructure at Gopalpur in Odisha in the near term.

“We have already spent Rs 1,000 crore to set up a 55,000 TPA high carbon ferro chrome plant and development of infrastructure. Going forward we will invest Rs 2,000-2,500 crore for the development of further infrastructure in the SEZ,” Tata Steel Managing director T V Narendran told reporters on the sidelines of Make in India conference here.

The SEZ, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Steel, has received clearance from Odisha government for setting up an industrial park.

“We got nearly 3,000 acres of land and Tata Steel is already (an) investor in the said unit by setting up ferro chrome plant, which is expected to be commissioned in the near future,” Narendran said.

This is the first time that the Tata group is coming up with a Special Economic Zone (SEX).

UK-based Meggitt recently decided to produce defence vehicles at Gopalpur, Odisha.

Defence equipment makers will also be a big focus for the SEZ, Arun Misra, Managing Director, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone, said adding that more companies in defence sector are expected to come following the government initiative to encourage manufacturing as part Make in India campaign.

The company is in discussions with investors in China and some South-East Asian countries have evinced interest in investing in the SEZ, Mishra added.

According to him the industrial park will start putting up factory sheds in 3-4 months period and clearance for setting up unit will be given within 15 days period.

The Gopalpur Industrial Park is being developed by Tata Steel to facilitate industrial development of the region and it will primarily attract investments in steel and allied downstream industries, engineering, chemicals and other emerging sectors, besides generating substantial employment opportunities.

The government has allotted coal blocks in Odisha to power PSU Neyveli Lignite Corporation, which is looking to ramp up coal-based electricity generation capacity. 

"The government has decided to allot Talabira-II and -III coal blocks in Odisha to Neyveli Lignite Corporation," an official said. 

The development follows allotment of a coal mine in Jharkhand to NLC, which had asked the government to allot more mines to it in view of its expansion plans. 

Earlier, NLC chairman and managing director Sarat Kumar Acharya had said that the company had been "allotted a coal block in Jharkand" and they had requested the coal ministry to allot more blocks, which would fuel their "capacity addition in coal-based generation". 

NLC plans to have 19,000 megawatt (MW) capacity by 2025, and projects to generate 6,000 MW from coal and 2,500 MW from lignite were already underway, he had said. 

When asked about allotment of mines in Odisha, the official said the blocks have been alloted in accordance with the relevant rules. 

NLC had earlier said that the company was not limited to lignite mining and lignite-based power generation in Neyveli complex. It has diversified into coal-based power generation, renewable energy and coal mining. 

Last year, the company commissioned its first 10 MW solar energy project at Neyveli.

The eBiz portal covering 14 G2B services with a common application form and an integrated payment gateway was launched at Odisha Investors’ meet in Mumbai as a part of the Make in India week.

These services will enable the investor to set up an industry from the comfort of their offices, eliminating all physical touch points for all investment related services. With the launch of this online platform, Odisha has become a torch bearer in the country in making business easy for investors. “By being the only State in the country to implement eBiz, Odisha has shown the way to other States and provided a template for digital interventions,” said Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

The meet also marked the launch of a unique online portal, Central Inspection Framework for Industries. The framework is designed to enable synchronised inspections by regulatory agencies and random selection of industries based on their risk profile. The framework also mandates random allocation of inspectors and the inspection report to be uploaded within 48 hours of completion of the inspection. To further ensure the transparency of the system, the online system has provision for industries to view reports and raise concerns in case of any discrepancy with the inspection. Launching the portal, NITI Aayog Member Bibek Debroy termed this as a significant development and lauded Odisha for providing a template for the other States to emulate.

This reform, the first in the country, is expected to ease business operations and bring about transparency and objectivity in inspection processes.

To ensure ease of doing business in the state, the Odisha government will introduce a self certifying scheme which will shorten the inspection process at the initial levels required for non-hazardous industries to set up units. 

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting here, presided over by Chief Secretary A P Padhi, an official statement said today. 

While reviewing the process of 'ease of doing business' in Odisha, Padhi has suggested the Labour and ESI Department to expedite the process for notifying the self-certification scheme, it added. 

The department has also been asked to simplify the compliance process to Labour and Factories Act as a step for facilitating setting up of more industrial units and creation of more jobs, the statement said. 

Meanwhile, the Labour and ESI Department introduced a number of reformative measures to remove initial bottlenecks for industries. 

"At least 12 services under Boiler and Factories Act have been notified under Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012. Out of which, delivery of nine important services have been put online through the e-biz portal," said Director of Factories and Boiler, P C Das. 

More power has been delegated to the field officers to resolve issues as they arise, he added. 

Das further said that rules have been amended to facilitate 5/10 year term licence renewal and the provision of Third Party Inspection has also been allowed under the Boiler Act, 1923. 

Besides, the voluntary compliance scheme under different labour laws has been introduced. The process and procedures for various inspections have been streamlined and simplified through the system of Central Inspection Co-ordination Group (CICG), he said. 

Under the new system, inspectors of various departments would have a common programme of inspection to inspect from different aspects on the same day and frequency of inspections could be reduced, he added. 

Earlier, the state government had notified around 60 industrial units under the green category, thereby exempting them from the burden of complying with pollution norms, the release said.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a 10-year-road map that aims to attract an investment of Rs 2.25 lakh crore and generate 10 lakh jobs.

"To take the state to a higher growth trajectory, the state government has strategized a new Odisha Industrial Development Plan 2025. The vision 2025 lays a 10-year-roadmap for development with transformational policies and strategies and presents a paradigm shift with the government acting as an enabler to aid industrial growth," Patnaik said during the ongoing Make in India Week at Mumbai.

"It (the state) aims to achieve a sustainable manufacturing and employment generation and intends to attract an investment of Rs 2.25 lakh crore in the five focus sectors and to generate 10 lakh jobs," he added.

The five focused sectors identified are agro and food processing especially Sea food processing, chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles, downstream and ancillary industries and ESDM (electronic system design and manufacturing) and IT/ITeS.

Patnaik said Odisha witnessed a robust economic growth of over 8% in 2014-15 and is poised to grow at 12% by 2020.

The Chief Minister added that his government has a ready- to-allot land bank of one lakh acres for industries and it will offer incentives to industries with high employment potential.

"The government has decided to set up an industrial infrastructure development study with a corpus of Rs 100 crore. The government has also decided to tap the expertise and experience of the private sector in the implementation of industrial townships and industrial parks," Patnaik added.

He further said the Odisha government is finalising a new startup policy to boost the startups and ecosystems.

"To provide a fillip to the startup ecosystem, I am dedicating 4.5 lakh sqft ready-to-move facility in Bhubaneshwar. The startup ecosystem shall be mentored and guided by the TiE Silicon valley, with which the government has a strategic partnership, the first of its kind in the country," he added.

 In another step towards ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in Odisha, the State Government on Wednesday decided to introduce a self-certifying scheme for non-hazardous industries.

This will enable such industries to set up their units without going through the mandatory inspection process at initial levels. The decision was taken at a high level meeting presided over by Chief Secretary AP Padhi.

While reviewing the process of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the State, Padhi asked the Labour and ESI Department to expedite the process for notifying the self-certification scheme.

The department was also asked to further simplify the process of compliances to Labour and Factories Act as a step for facilitating setting up of more industrial units.

Meanwhile, the Department has introduced a number of reform measures in this direction.

“At least 12 services under Boiler and Factories Act have been notified under Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012 of which delivery of nine important services have been put on line through e-biz portal,” Director of Boiler and Factories PC Das said.

He said more powers have been delegated to field officers so that they can resolve the issues as and when they arise. The rules have been amended to facilitate 5/10 years term licence renewal.

The provisions of third party inspection have been allowed under the Boiler Act, 1923. Voluntary compliance scheme under different labour laws has been introduced. The process and procedures for various inspections have been streamlined and simplified through the system of Central Inspection Coordination Group (CICG), Das said. Under this system, inspectors of various departments will have a common programme of inspection so that different aspects will be inspected on the same day and the frequency of inspections can be reduced.

The department has already achieved 96 of 97 tasks points specified for Ease of Doing Business, he said.

Earlier, the State Government had notified around 60 industrial units under green category, thereby exempting them from the burden of complying with pollution norms.

Meanwhile, the Government has made e-Biz portal operational which aims at minimising physical interfaces and providing approvals online to investors

The Union government on Thursday announced the top 20 list for the smart city project, but many of these cities would need to upgrade their proposals to qualify for the first round of Central funds. Replying to a question at a press conference, urban development secretary Madhusudhan Prasad said Rs 200 crore for each selected city would be given out this financial year — a total outgo of Rs 4,000 crore. This is to be followed by Rs 100 crore each in the subsequent three years as part of the plan to spend Rs 50,000 crore on 100 smart cities in a phased manner. However, he pointed out some of the selected cities have to upgrade their proposals before the Centre disburses its funds in FY16.

It is learnt that around 10 cities in the top 20 list have been told to upgrade their proposals to match the yardsticks of smart cities. Till that is done, the promised first tranche of Rs 200 crore each would not come, an official said. Also, while the announcement of the 20 names implies that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s signature smart city project has actually been kicked off, there’s no deadline given.

While announcing Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) as the top name, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu said the winner was a surprise candidate. The 20 selected cities have come from 11 states, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Madhya Pradesh getting the highest share of three (Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur) in the first list. Those with two cities each include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra (all BJP-ruled) and Andhra Pradesh (led by BJP ally Telugu Desam Party).

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-ruled Tamil Nadu and Congress-ruled Karnataka have also made it to the list with two cities each. Punjab, Assam, Kerala and New Delhi Municipal Council area of Delhi are the other winners.

When asked why Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is not part of the top 20 list, Naidu said, “The local municipality should know the answer.” Last year, Japan had signed a memorandum of understanding to partner Varanasi as a smart city. In the pecking order released on Thursday, Varanasi is 96th on the list.

While West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh (going to polls in 2016 and 2017, respectively) and Bihar have not found any representation in the smart city list, 23 states/Union territories have been given a chance to fast-track their plans by April 15.

Arindam Guha, senior director at Deloitte India, said, “There are no winners or losers here. The really smart cities will build on the effort already put into developing the Smart City plans and take some of the implementation forward, especially those which do not require significant financial outlays like increasing walkability by improving pavements or are largely supported by private investment like Wi-Fi facilities in public spaces, beautification of public places through corporate sponsorships or advertisements.”

Funding of smart city project is seen as the most critical. The Centre’s funds have to be matched by money from states and municipalities. The spend on retrofitting and redevelopment projects will be on areas such as intelligent solutions for transport; the management of water, energy, solid waste; e-governance; smart health and education services; CCTV surveillance, etc. Around 10 cities alone have proposed resources of Rs 8,521 crore from public private partnerships (PPPs) and another Rs 4,539 crore from convergence of different schemes, Naidu said at the conference. For instance, Bhubaneswar has proposed to raise Rs 525 crore from convergence of schemes and Rs 2,563 crore from PPP; Pune Rs 700 crore from convergence; Surat Rs 365 crore from convergence and Rs 795 crore from PPP; and NDMC Rs 797 crore from PPP.

Jaijit Bhattacharya, partner, infrastructure and government services at KPMG India, said: “KPMG worked with NDMC to come out with one of the most innovative proposals. We are confident that today's announcement will further accelerate the transformation of cities into smart cities and will witness very significant investments coming in.” According to Sanjay Dutt, managing director, India, Cushman & Wakefield, the project would require huge fund mobilisation that could be brought about by PPPs for developing smart cities. “Incentivising infrastructure development would lead to higher private participation in the formation of smart cities.’’

A few months ago, the Cabinet had cleared Rs 50,000 crore for the project and another Rs 48,000 crore for AMRUT (another city rejuvenation plan) — both schemes were part of the election plank of NDA last year.

Paradip Port has ended the third quarter of the current fiscal year 2015-16 on a high, posting a 5.23 per cent growth in cargo handling and maintaining its position as the second best port among all major ports in the country.

In nine months ending December 31, 2015, the port has handled 55.13 MMT of traffic against 52.39 MMT during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal. The number of vessels grew by 8.65 per cent in the above period as the port handled 1156 ships against 1064 number of ships handled in the same period of previous year. There has been improvement in ship day from 17,289 MT in 2014-15 to 19,856 MT in the nine months, witnessing a growth of 14.85 per cent.

The port recently has declared its facility of CQ-1/CQ-2 and South Quay for handling Baby Cape ships up to 260 mtr length, beam with 43 mtr and draft of 14.5 mtr. Port infrastructure like road and railway and drainage system is accordingly being realigned to augment the cargo handling capacity matched with the discharge and load rate of Baby Cape size ships, a Paradip Port Trust (PPT) release stated.

To further ease the procedural bottlenecks in setting up of business in the state, the Odisha government is shortly going to launch a portal ‘e-biz’ with an aim to minimise physical interfaces and give approvals online to the investors.

                   
“We will be the first state in the country where 15 services required by the entrepreneurs can be applied and the applications disposed of online. The services relate to water resources, commercial taxes, pollution control board consent for which fees can be paid and the approvals received online. The number of services may go up”, said Sanieev Chopra, state industries secretary and chairman and managing director of Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (IPICOL) at  a seminar on ‘ Opportunities and Challenges for SMEs’ organized by Business Standard in association with Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI), the apex industry body of  Odisha. e-biz will be launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on February 14 at Mumbai, he added.

Similarly, any industrial unit  inside and outside the IDCO (Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation) industrial estates with an investment of more than Rs one crore and subject to inspections by multiple authorities will be covered under the Central Inspection Framework where by all the inspectors will go to a factory on one particular day after giving prior notice, Chopra said.

It may be noted that Odisha government is taking conscious steps to improve its ranking in the on 'Ease of Doing Business' Index. Odisha was ranked seventh in a recent World Bank report on 'Ease of Doing Business’ and aims to be among the top three states.

The Odisha government has already set up a special entity to fast track approvals for investment projects at IPICOL. The new entity christened State Level Facilitation Cell (SLFC) is mandated to clear investment proposals in 15-30 days. 

The SLFC monitors the general and special conditions of approved project proposals and facilitates timely implementation of projects. The SLFC consists of members from IDCO, Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (OPTCL), State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), directorate of factories and boilers, water resources department on a full-time basis.

For any change of post allotment matter like change in the name and style, product, constitution of the firm etc. located in industrial estates, IDCO has introduced the Automated Post Allotment Application (APAA) with a simplified procedure and provision for the deemed approval. Earlier, IDCO was following a manual process for which files were required to be sent from one department to other for getting approvals.

TiE Silicon Valley, an investors' association dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, would support the Odisha government in formulating a dedicated start-up policy for the state.

A 13-member TiE Silicon Valley team, led by president Venktesh Shukla, on a two-day visit to the state, on Monday held discussions with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

" TiE Silicon valley will help the state government in formulating a start-up policy. We are hopeful that the start-up policy will be implemented in next two-three months, creating an environment for new start-ups to come up", said Aditya Prasad Padhee, chief secretary, after a meeting with the delegation at the state secretariat.

"I am happy to note that Ipicol (Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited) & TiE Silicon Valley @tiesv have a one-of-its-kind agreement to foster the growth of start-ups in the state. Met delegation from Tie Silicon Valley. Hope fruitful partnership leads Odisha into top-3 start-up states in India," Patnaik tweeted.

Odisha government is planning to set-up incubators to assist start-ups; my vision is to see Odisha among top-three start-up destinations in next two years, Patnaik added.

A three-member steering committee has been formed. With members from TiE Silicon Valley, this committee would regularly interact with the state to finalise the start policy, said Dabasis Patnaik, vice-president, TiE Bhubnaeswar. It may be noted that TiE Bhubaneswar has already suggested a draft policy to the state government.

The draft policy aims to develop a robust ecosystem in five cities of Odisha by 2020. The objective also includes attracting Rs 1,000 crore in investments into the incubation and start-up ecosystem. It suggests that Rs 250 crore be provided for youth entrepreneurship activities for the next five years or earmark one per cent of the annual state budget.

The draft policy also targets establishing at least 20 technology business incubators and accelerators in different sectors in the state to encourage at least 1,000 technology product start-ups, developing 0.5 million square feet (sq ft) of incubation space, facilitating venture capital funding of a minimum of Rs 1,000 crore, setting up of a facilitation centre in each district and a single-window clearance facility, among other things.

Indian Oil Corp aims to invest 40 billion rupees (USD 600 million) in upgrading its newest refinery in the eastern part of the country after the central government decided to bring forward by four years the introduction of road vehicle fuels which are compliant with Euro VI emission standards to April 2020, a senior company executive said on Sunday. The 300,000 barrels per day refinery, which was commissioned last year, was designed to produce Euro IV and Euro V-compliant fuels. But the government's decision to bring forward the introduction of Euro VI fuels to combat rising pollution in Asia's third-largest economy requires installation of some new units and upgrades of existing ones. The World Health Organisation in 2014 said that 13 of the world's 20 most polluted cities were in India, with New Delhi being the worst. IOC needs to add facilities like Isomerisation, Diesel Hydrotreater and a Hydrogen units to produce Euro VI compliant fuels at the Paradip refinery in Odisha, G. S. Singh, executive director for technical operations at the refinery, told reporters on a plant visit. Singh said IOC would commission at the refinery a reformer, and vacuum gas oil hydrotreater this month, and an alkylation unit next month. The 345.55 billion-rupee refinery is IOC's most advanced plant that can process the heaviest and dirtiest crude oil available at a cheaper rate. The refinery is expected to run at up to 60 percent capacity in the current fiscal year to March 31 as some units have yet to come online. The crude processing capacity could rise to 80 percent once other new units are commissioned, Singh said. It will operate at full capacity from the fiscal year 2017/18, when its gross refining margins could go up significantly to USD 12-USD 14 per barrel, Singh said. He estimated the refinery to account for 20-30 percent of IOC's overall profit then. India's fuel demand is rising and the International Energy Agency has said the country could become the most important driver of energy demand growth in the world in the years to come. Paradip refinery will mainly cater for markets in eastern and southern India, currently fed by fuel sourced from other local refiners and imports. The refinery was initially expected to begin operations in 2012, but a host of problems involving supplies from contractors, environmental concerns and natural calamities, delayed the project.

 

Noting that the steel sector is in crisis in the country, the Centre today said more steps are needed to make it competitive in the international market. 

"Though the steel sector is decontrolled, the Centre has taken certain steps to help the industry. We have imposed safeguard duty, increased import duty and issued quality control order," Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters here after meeting Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. 

"Though these steps have been helpful for the steel sector, more needs to be done," Tomar said.  Stating that the government was aware about the steel being dumped by China and others, Tomar said the Centre would soon take some measures to bail out the steel sector. "You will know once the government takes any action," he said. 

Describing the steel sector as the "back bone" of industries in the country, Tomar said the government would take measures to safeguard steel industries. Replying a question, Tomar said there should be no problem of raw materials for steel industries as there was a huge volume of iron ore storage in the country, particularly in Odisha. 

Meanwhile, NITI Ayog member V K Saraswat, who had an interaction with the representatives of steel industries and government officials of Odisha here, said "If required, policies and plans for improvement of the steel sector may be undertaken." 

Stating that India was targeting to produce 300 million tonnes of steel by 2025, Saraswat said the steel sector has been facing different problems as stated by the industry representatives. He said the NITI Ayog would take stock of the situation in the steel sector from across the country.

To ease worries for steel plants drawing raw materials from state- owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), the state Cabinet today simplified the procedures for supply of ore as per the long-term linkage policy. As per the Cabinet’s decision, OMC would be allowed to execute sale agreements with the long-term buyers. The allotment quantity to be assured under long-term linkage would be determined by a committee which would be reconstituted by the government.

It was also decided that the penalty on non-lifting of ore of at least 90% would be made applicable on the non-lifted quantum and not on the entire allotted quantity which was done previously. "There was representation from the user industries that the penalty was excessive. So, we have decided to rationalise the penalty. Accordingly, OMC would execute revised agreements with the buyers", said R K Sharma, principal secretary (steel & mines).

These decisions are expected to improve ease of doing business for buyers of iron ore and chrome ore. As per the long-term linkage policy, OMC supplies up to 70 % of its iron ore production and 50% of its chrome ore output to industries within the state. The Cabinet also gave its go-ahead to the creation of a separate directorate for steel keeping in view the surge in investments in the sector and problems faced by the operational steel units.

"A steel directorate would be constituted on the lines of directorate of mines and directorate of geology. The directorate would be headed by an officer of the rank of additional secretary. Independent consultants and advisors would also be engaged. We expect the steel directorate to start functioning from April 1, 2016", said chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhee.

Though the steel & mines department is mandated to deal with the matters relating to mines as well as steel industries, there is no separate establishment within the department to deal exclusively with matters of the steel units. The directorate of steel is expected to ensure regular interaction with the promoters of steel companies to assess their problems and maintain updated data base on production.

The Odisha cabinet on Thursday approved the setting up of a separate Directorate of Steel to address the problems faced by steel industries and frame policy initiatives for utilisation of the untapped potential in the sector.

"Though we have a separate directorate of mines and a directorate of geology, we do not have a separate establishment to deal with matters relating to steel industries. Now, the cabinet has approved a proposal for creating a separate directorate of steel," chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi told reporters. The new directorate of steel will be operational from April 1, next year.

Padhi said the directorate will deal with steel industries passing through various problems in the state as well as across the country. "The state does not have a mechanism to regularly interact with promoters or maintain an updated database on production or to assess the problems faced by the steel industry," he said.

An additional secretary in the steel and mines department would now function as the director of steel. The government has successfully attracted large investments in the steel sector by executing 49 MoUs with steel companies. Of these, 33 projects have already started partial production. Besides, 30 iron ore based industries have been set up through the non-MoU route.

Padhi said a good number of sponge iron, pellet, iron ore benefaction and steel plants are operational in the state. The separate directorate would deal with the issues of investors, said Padhi. The Directorate of Steel would appoint a senior and experienced expert from the steel sector as advisor on steel and would engage consultants to further boost the state's steel industry.

The state cabinet also approved a proposal to amend the Long Term Ore Linkage Policy (LTL) to address the difficulties of industries in getting raw material. The cabinet approved an amendment in penalty provision of the Sale Agreement of notification dated September 17, 2014. The Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) which was allowed to execute sale agreement with long term buyers of ore should not be inconsistent to the provision of the notification. Earlier, the notification had a provision to impose penalty on not lifting the agreed amount of ore.

According to the amendment, the industries would pay penalty on the volume of ore not lifted and not on the total agreed volume of the mineral from OMC. The industries would now pay 5 percent penalty on unlifted ore to OMC. The decision would help improve the ease of doing business for the buyers of iron ore and chrome ore under LTL.

Aiming to move up its ranking on the ‘ease of doing business’ index, Odisha has unveiled a set of reforms to offer a hassle-free experience to existing and prospective investors.
Stakeholders who debated on ‘ease of doing business’ at Business Standard's second Odisha Round Table here, were unanimous on the need to diversify the investment basket without losing tempo on resource-based growth.

Odisha chief secretary Aditya Padhee said, “The resource boom has now turned into a resource crisis. Prices have crashed to one-third of what they were a year and a half ago. But, we see an opportunity in these prices.”To ease business processes, the state government has rolled out a suite of reforms, said Padhee.

Elaborating on the reforms, he said, “On the taxation structure, we have one single TIN (taxpayer identification number) for all kinds of taxes. The entire commercial tax machinery has been computerised. We are soon going to have a centralised inspection framework. Inspectors from different departments will go for inspection together and post their reports online within 48 hours. A decision will soon be taken for the rollout of online combined application form. A state-level facilitation cell has been formed to clear investments in three to seven days.”

Odisha has identified five thrust sectors in its latest Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) — agriculture & food processing; chemicals & petrochemicals; electronics; information technology (IT) & IT-enabled services; and textiles & downstream & ancillary industries.
Padhee listed lack of market access and unavailability of skilled manpower as the biggest bottlenecks to draw investments from these sectors.

Odisha industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said, “The state has pronounced its new IPR loaded with several incentives. We are also creating land bank for industries and 70,000 acres have been identified in the first phase.” Terming Odisha the mineral basket, Ravi Uppal, managing director and group chief executive at Jindal Steel & Power, sounded upbeat on the steel industry's recovery.

“The Indian steel economy will stage a recovery soon. Steel industries in Odisha have invested Rs 1.1 lakh crore. We have invested Rs 26,000 crore and another Rs 8,000 crore is in the pipeline. We have to do some ring-fencing to ensure the domestic steel industry is protected,” said Uppal.

Speaking on the economic slump,  T K Chand, chairman cum managing director at National Aluminium Company (Nalco), said 70 per cent of the industries have reported cash loss. Nalco is investing Rs 35,000 crore in Odisha where it has the entire value chain in the next two years, he said.

Echoing Chand's concerns, R K Sharma, principal secretary (steel & mines), said, “Globally, commodity markets have been facing stress. The downturn in global metal markets has also affected the state.”

Vishal Agarwal, vice-chairman and managing director of Visa Steel, pointed out there was room for further cut in ore prices. He also stressed on the need to scale up investments on logistics.

Arun Misra, managing director of Tata Steel special economic zone (SEZ), and vice-president, Tata Steel, said: “The Gopalpur industrial park has come up at a time when the state government has come out with a new IPR. The SEZ will be fully operational in five to seven years.”

Odisha’s water resources and IT secretary P K Jena said the government through policy interventions was trying to widen investments in IT, ITes and electronics space.

“This year, we have come out with a scheme for ESDM (electronics system design and manufacturing) investors. We will also come up with a BPO (business process outsourcing) policy in the next one to two months.”

Oil marketing companies- Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd have planned to set up two common user facilities for storage of oil in Odisha. The oil companies have intended to set up oil storage facilities at Sambalpur and Meramundali in Dehankanal district at an investment of Rs 270 crore each.

BPCL will take the lead in the project and the projects will be developed on a Capex sharing basis. "The common user facility will cater to the receipt and storage of petroleum products like diesel, kerosene, petrol and blending will also be done here", official sources said. The product inputs are likely to be received through IOCL's Paradip-Ranchi cross country pipeline railway wagons and evacuation will be done through tank lorries.

The facility at Sambalpur will cater to the needs of 10 districts probably in the western part of the state and the Meramundali unit will cater to four districts. Officials said, the state level facilitation cell (SLFC) considering the proposal of the state before it is put before the State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) for approval.

It may be noted that the Odisha government has set up an SLFC, a special entity to fast track approvals for investment projects. The new entity has been mandated to clear investment proposals in 15-30 days. The SLFC has categorised companies in two broad categories- green and non-green. The green category largely comprises agri-based industries, food-processing, cottage industries, textiles, light engineering, chemicals, building materials, and consumer goods. The SLFC monitors the general and special conditions of approved project proposals and facilitate timely implementation of projects. The SLFC consists of members from Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco), Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Ltd, (OPTCL), State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), directorate of factories and boilers, water resources department on a full-time basis.

Representatives of national level Industry associations are also a part of the SLFC board to mentor and guide investors and promote industries in the state. Under the new arrangement, SLFC provides clearances to green category projects within 15 days. All other industrial projects placed under the non-green category would receive approvals within 30 days.

Projecting a one trillion USD investment globally in next five years, China is eyeing Odisha in a big way. A province of China will enter into a partnership with Odisha soon for bringing in investment into strategic sectors in the State. The province would be selected on the basis of its similarities with Odisha in terms of geography, resources and expertise so that there would be complete harmony in the partnership, Consul General of People’s Republic of China, Ma Zhanwu told media persons here on Tuesday.

Zhanwu, who met Chief Secretary AP Padhi and other top Government officials, said, “It was a very exciting time to be in Odisha. The State has entered the phase of fast development and is leading efforts in creating an enabling atmosphere for investment and ease of doing business.”

The major factors in favour of the State are its political stability, good governance and the availability of a pool of skilled personnel. Odisha has also done the right thing in delineating specific sectors and developing them.

“We will select a coastal province with expertise in ports, mining, industries and manufacturing, urban planning and solid waste disposal, power, food processing and textiles that would effectively tap the vast potential of Odisha. The announcement is likely to be made soon,” the Consul General said.

China is keen to work together with the State and will facilitate exchanges for art, academics and industry to strengthen ties between the regions. The proposed  Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, which will link Yunan province to Kolkata through Mandalay and Dhaka, will also have a major impact on development of economic cooperation in the region. The results will also be felt by Odisha, Zhanwu said.

The Odisha Government is keen to attract investment in manufacturing sector. Outlining several priority areas, General Manager, IPICOL Kalyan Mohanty said power sector was one major area with vast untapped potential.

“In next five years, Odisha will generate 40,000-50,000 MW of power. This will create immense opportunities in manufacturing like power equipment. China with its expertise in manufacturing should take advantage of the opportunities,” he said.

Among others, Executive Member, Odisha Expert Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce Manish Kharbanda also spoke.

A delegation of Chinese businessmen called on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday at Sate Secretariat. Later, the delegation met Odisha Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and discussed. Chinese delegation has shown their interest to invest in Odisha.

The delegation led by Consulate General (Kolkata) of People’s Republic of China M A Zhanwu met the minister and discussed about investment perspective in the state. They praised industrial policy adopted by the Odisha government. The delegation expressed their interest in investing in the state from February 2016 in various sectors including Tourism and petrochemicals.

After meeting with the delegation, the minister told media that the delegation of businessmen shown their interest to invest in the state. Talks with the delegation were successful and the Chinese businessmen would invest in the state from February 2016.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday met US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal at state secretariat. The Chief Minister sought for better collaboration with US in climate change and industries sector.

The Chief Minister said that Odisha is one of the first states in the country to prepare State Action Plan on climate change in a participative process in 2010. The plan aims to reduce the vulnerability and enhance adaptive capacity.

The Chief Minister wanted to explore partnership between Odisha and USA in various adaptation and mitigation measures for climate change.

The Chief Minister also sought for deeper cooperation in the industries sector with US. He said that the state has a vision to increase manufacturing growth by 15 percent by 2019 by attracting new investments to the tune of Rs.1.73 lakh core and additional employment to 3.30 lakh persons. 

The CM also described about the state’s industrial policy, reforms measures and industrial infrastructure in Odisha. 

The Chief Minister wanted greater cooperation from US for investments in manufacturing units in identified focus sectors, large scale industrial and social infrastructure, smart industrial complexes, R&D facilities and technical cooperation. Informing that she was here to explore the opportunities in Odisha, Biswal said she was very happy to visit Odisha, and she and her children have great interest in the culture and heritage of Odisha. 

Biswal appreciated the efforts of Odisha government in strengthening preparedness and improving resilience for disaster management.  She lauded the state for effectively managing cyclones in Odisha. She also said that the Odisha experience in managing disasters is a good lesson for other countries. Talking on the industrial and economic cooperation between Odisha and US, she said US intends to boost better trade ties in South Asia and South-East Asia.

Odisha government has identified about 200, 000 acres of contiguous land that will facilitate industries to set up their projects without any land acquisition hurdles.

"Initially 400,000 acres land were identified out of which 200,000 acres were contiguous patch which can be used for industrial purpose. About 80,000 acres of land has been brought into the land bank which is vested with Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and district collectors," Debi Prasad Mishra, state industries minister told media persons on the sidelines of a regional workshop on 'Industrial Policy Resolution -2015, Ease of doing Business' here. The conclave was organised by department of industries and Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) in association with DIC and Utkal Chamber of Commerce & Industry(UCCI).

The industries department has developed GOi PLUS (Government of Odisha industrial portal for Land use and Services) system to display real time information with regards to industrial land in the state. The system provides detailed information pertaining to industrial land with regards to availability of plots and location specific attributes in terms of connectivity, rail and road linkages and other utilities. The system also provides information about the existing industries and physical, health and educational infrastructure available in the vicinity of the land.

The zoning of the industrial areas in terms of environmental aspects as green, orange and red has been incorporated in the land information system to enable an investor to decide on the location for investment based on the proposed business activities. Mishra said, the government is in the process of finalising a downstream policy to encourage small and medium industries. "We are eyeing to be among the top three states in the Ease of Doing Business list where Odisha figures at seventh position", said the industry minister.

In the new IPR-2015, about 21 sectors have been identified as the priority sectors. It is one of the best industrial policies when compared to other states. Along with the IPR 2015, operational guidelines have also been issued, he added. The state government has also mooted a 15 point comprehensive plan for the development of MSME sector in the state. The points include appointment of brand ambassadors both at the state and district level, skill gap analysis , organising workshops training to district industries officers etc.

The State Government has set a target to produce 300 MW to 500 MW of solar energy by 2019-20. This was informed by the Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das in the State Assembly on Tuesday. 

Minister Das said that Odisha has a scope to produce about 2,500 MW of solar energy. He said that the state Government is now carrying out a process of supplying solar energy through Renewable Purchase Obligation.  The Energy Department has identified land through the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) to set up 150-MW solar power units, he said.

To attract more investment, the state government on Friday launched a new logo, Invest Odisha, which was launched by chief minister Naveen Patnaik during the inaugural function of CII Enterprise Odisha-2015 here on Friday.

The new logo signifies and embodies the change that Odisha is undergoing to become the investment destination of choice in India and the diverse investment opportunities that the state has to offer across different sectors, said Naveen while launching the logo.

According to the new industrial policy, the state government is now looking beyond the mines and mineral sector. To attract more investment, it has identified some thrust sectors, including chemicals, plastics, petrochemicals, downstream and ancillary, agro and sea food processing, electronics manufacturing and textiles.

Industries minister Debiprasad Mishra, who was present on the occasion, said the state government has set deadline for various clearances and approvals related to setting up of industries. For green category industries, the approvals are being provided within 15 days and for other industries, the approvals are being provided within 30 days, he added.

To make land easily available to the industries, the state government also decided to create a land bank of 1, 00,000 acres.

Industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra said in one of the first of its kind initiatives in the country, the state government is setting up a centralized inspection framework based on a computerized platform.

The platform would help different problems faced by the industries, he added. Recently, the World Bank ranked Odisha in the 7th position among all states in terms of ease of doing business.

Terming Tata Steel's Kalinganagar steel facility a milestone in Odisha's industrial progress, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said investment on the project -- the company's only greenfield plant apart from Jamshedpur -- could go up to Rs 1 lakh crore by 2025. "In the first phase, Rs 25,000 crore has been spent byTata Steel (on the Kalinganagar project), creating direct employment opportunity for 3,000 people and indirect employment for 22,000 people", Patnaik said here after dedicating the plant to the state.

Tata Steel had originally planned a 6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) steel plant at an estimated cost of Rs 45,000 crore. Ramping up capacity to 16 mtpa would entail an additional investment of Rs 55,000 crore, taking the steelmaker's total investment to Rs 1 lakh crore. "We have invested Rs 25,000 crore in the first phase. We will be investing Rs 2,000 crore on developing the iron ore mines at Khandabandh that will feed the Kalinganagar plant. Kalinganagar would be the largest single location greenfield steel plant in the country," Tata Steel chairman Cyrus Mistry said.

"Ten years later," he said, "this would be a much bigger industrial ecosystem." T V Narendran, managing director (India & South East Asia), Tata Steel, said the Kalinganagar plant will deliver a wider product range, and would strengthen the company's presence in auto and oil & gas sectors. Initially, iron ore from Joda mines will cater to the plant's first phase requirement till 2017. Subsequently, the Khandabandh mines, which have a mining capacity of 5 mtpa, will meet the plant's requirement through 2020. The steel firm has been alloted 3,470 acres of land for the Kalinganagar project, which will produce high end flat steel products. 

"The Kalinganagar plant will enhance the future competitiveness of Tata Steel in terms of cost competitiveness and profitability and this investment demonstrates Tata Steel's alignment with the Government's Make in India strategy," said Kaushik Chatterjee, group executive director (finance & corporate). 

To expedite industrialisation process in the State, the Odisha Government has decided to set up a land bank and simplify the mode of payment towards Water Conservation Fund for industries. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Hon'ble Chief Minister. About 1 lakh acres would be reserved for industries in the land bank, state Industries Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said.

Sure Safety Solutions has tied up with United Kingdom based Meggitt Defence to produce aerial target products for defence sector at the special economic zone being promoted by Tata Steel near its yet-to-be-commissioned six million tonne greenfield steel plant in Odisha. Sure Safety Solutions will invest Rs50-60 crore in the plant spread over five acres. 

Coming up under the ‘Make in India’ scheme, it is expected to start production by June next year. To start with, the plant will produce aerial target products and service the $50-million order procured by Meggitt Defence from the Ministry of Defence. 

Established in 2004, Sure Safety Solutions is a defence technology products maker having expertise in manufacturing equipment in electronic warfare, optical tracking systems and training simulators, which are required to modernise Armed forces. Arun Misra, Managing Director, Tata Steel Special Economic Zone, said the company is in discussions with investors in China and some South-East Asian countries have also shown interest in investing in the SEZ. 

“We are committed to establish this region as the next industrial hot spot of Odisha and this investment marks the first step in this regard,” he said. Tata Steel Special Economic Zone, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel, is developing the industrial park at Gopalpur on 1,235 acres.

Odisha Government set roadmap and timelines for completion of each industrial cluster along highways and rail lines ways. The decission was taken at a meeting held under the charimanship of Chief Secretary GC Pati at the State Secretariat on Thursday.

Industries Secretary Sanjeeb Chopra presented updates and outlined issues for discussion. The Chief Secretary advised the department to identify new clusters for development of downstream industries along Paradip Express Highway from Kalinganagar to Paradip and along the railway line from Bhadrak to Dhamara.

Pati asked Revenue and Industries Departments to work out a system for making the land owners as stakeholders for faster development of the proposed clusters. He also advised the Industries Department to identify anchor investors for each cluster.

Progress of industrial clusters like Aluminium Park at Angul, Plastic Park at Paradip, Sea Food Park at Deras, Electronics Park at Info-Valley, Bhubaneswar, Textile and Rice Park at Bhadrak, Petro Chemical Cluster at Paradip, National Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Kalinganagar were reviewed.

The central-sector National Aluminium Company  (Nalco) had a sigh of relief as the Odisha government finally allocated the Potangi bauxite mines in its favour. Nalco had been struggling to get the approval of the state government for the mines reserved for it since 1992.

The Nalco chairman-cum-managing director, TK Chand, had recently disclosed that the company has lined up Rs 30,000 crore investments keeping the Potangi bauxite deposits in mind. “The day we will get the state government’s clearance for the mines, we would go ahead with our programme to ramp up capacity of our Damanjodi refinery by 1 million tonnes with an investment of Rs 6,000 crore and to set up a smelter along with a captive power plant in Sundergarh district with a capital cost of Rs 24,000 crore”, he had said.

Potangi mines, which has a promised reserve of 75.22 mt of bauxite, has been reserved for Nalco by the Union ministry of mines. The state government had kept the clearance on hold on the plea that the  PSU was not doing enough CSR activities in the tribal-dominated backward Koraput district. It was following the new CMD’s assurance to the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, that the company has committed to spend R300 crore for the periphery development programme and the mines got the clearnces, said sources.

To increase production of green electricity in the State, the Odisha government today decided to renovate three major hydro-power stations with an investment of about T887 crore. A decision to this effect was taken at a high level review meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday. The hydel-power stations at Hirakud, Chipilima and Balimela will be renovated in phases, Energy Secretary SC Mohapatra said. The State has six hydro-power stations with installed capacity of 2,008 MW.

The proposed Paradip-Durgapur LPG pipeline will be ready by the next year to boost supplies, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) chairman B Ashok said today. ?IOC is setting up two LPG import terminals at Kochi and Paradip ports. The Paradip to Durgapur stretch of the pipeline will be ready by the next year,? Mr Ashok told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. The IOC chief said that after the pipeline construction is over, it is expected that there would be no backlog in supplies. 

Mr Ashok said the overall demand of LPG connections would rise from 18 mt to 25 mt by 2022-23, potentially growing at 11-12 per cent each year. Fifty per cent of India's LPG requirement is being imported. He said to cater to rising demand, IOC has drawn up plans on infrastructure development and improving logistics for movement of gas. IOC will construct one pipeline from Paradip to Muzzafarpur touching Haldia, Durgapur and Patna involving a cost of Rs 2,700 crore. The oil PSU is also looking to expand rural network, Mr Ashok said, adding that in the next couple of years, rural coverage will be substantial. 

About 'Giveitup' scheme, Mr Ashok said nearly 14 lakh IOC consumers have given up their LPG subsidy. Asked about the quantum of savings which the government had made after introduction of direct cash transfer, he said ?it will be substantial?. IOC is also setting up an LNG terminal at Dhamra port in Odisha with a capacity of five million tons at a cost of Rs 690 crore, he said

The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday cleared a proposal to mechanise three berths at Paradip port on the basis of public-private partnership (PPP) at an estimated cost of Rs 1,437.76 crore. 

 The port on the east coast, which primarily handles bulk cargo, would see its annual coal handling capacity go up to 50 million tonne following the completion of mechanisation projects in the next three years. “The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,437.76 crore, of which Rs 1,412.76 crore will be spent by the concessionaire. The remaining Rs 25 crore will be spent by the Paradip Port Trust on dredging,” road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said after the CCEA meeting. 

 The cabinet approved mechanisation of east quay (EQ) berths 1, 2 and 3 at Paradip port on the build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis, under PPP for handling thermal coal exports, Gadkari said. The facility upgrade would result in higher operational efficiency and thereby reduce logistics cost for ferrying coal. 

 Mechanisation of the three berths would raise their capacity from 7.85 million tonne to 30 million tonne. Paradip is one of the 12 major ports under the central government and its hinterland extends to Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh among others. The port handled 70 mt cargo in 2014-15 and posted a profit of Rs 921 crore. The port has charted an ambitious expansion plan. 

 It plans to ramp up the capacity to 270.50 mt per annum by 2023 to meet the growing demand for export as well as domestic cargo. In another development, the Union cabinet gave its approval for the formation of a group A service of the technical cadre of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship. The new service will be called the Indian skill development service. 

 The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also cleared the construction of a national war memorial and a national war museum at Princess Park, near India Gate in the capital, with a projected cost of Rs 500 crore. “The estimated cost of the project will be around Rs 500 crore and the total time for completion of the project is estimated to be five years,” an official statement said.

Despite a spell of strike by stevedores and a few other stakeholders in Septmeber, Paradip Port Trust registered the highest ever traffic of 36.06 million tonnes in the first six months (April to September-2015) as compared to 34.35 million tonnes of cargo handled during the corresponding period of the previous year.

This is an increase of five percent over the traffic handled during corresponding period of previous year. The port has retained the second position among the Major Ports of India, said officials of PPT.

During the above period thermal coal traffic has increased by 8.71 percent by handling 14.83 million tonnes against 13.64 million tones handled during the corresponding period of previous year. POL traffic has also registered a growth of 6.40 percent by handling 9.52 million tonnes against 8.94 million tonnes handled of the previous year. A total of 771 vessels were handled in the Port during the period as against 692 vessels in the first six months of 2014. This is an increase of 11.41 percent, said port officials.

Incidentally, with the support of East Coast Rlys, the evacuation of imported cargo from the Port has improved substantially as the Port has been in a position to liquidate 312 number of pending indents.

M.T. Krishna Babu, Chairman and N. Vaiyapuri, Dy. Chairman, Paradip Port Trust appreciated the co-operation and support extended in achieving the record throughput and conveyed their gratitude to Ministry of Shipping, state government and other stake holders and employees.

Tata Steel is set to commission the first phase of its Kalinganagar plant, where it has invested Rs.22,000 crore so far, in the next fiscal. The Kalinganagar project in Odisha is being established in two modules of 3 million tonnes each and would roll out highend flat products. “We have already started commissioning some of the facilities. So, over the next few months, one by one, all the facilities will get commissioned. Our guidance has been next to this financial year so we stick by the guidance,” Tata Steel Managing Director TV Narendran told PTI. Narendran said so far, the company has spent “about Rs.22,000 crore” on its greenfield project, which is aligned to the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government. The first phase of the facility, to be set up at a total investment of Rs.25,000 crore, saw commencement of coke production from its coke ovens last month. 

The project is the largest single location greenfield steel project in India having a rated capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum in the first phase. Various units of the plant will start commercial production sequentially. In the first phase, the steel plant will have two coke oven battery, each comprising 88 ovens and having a gross coke production capacity of 1.5 mtpa. According to Tata Steel, during the first phase, the blast furnace will have a capacity of 3.3 mtpa of hot metal, while the sinter plant will have a capacity of 4.91 mtpa. 

The Odisha government today approved seven big investment proposals worth Rs.41,900 crore including foreign direct investment (FDI) by a Japanese company. The High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) chaired by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik cleared seven investment proposals, which will provide direct employment to some 4,450 people.

The panel approved a proposal of JGreen Power Private Ltd for a 423 MW liquefied natural gas (LNG)-based power project at Dhamra in Bhadrak district. The Japanese company will set up the eco-friendly project with an investment of Rs.3,106 crore, said Odisha Industry Minister Debi Prasad Mishra.

Mahanadi Basin Power Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL), has proposed a pit head 2X800 MW coal based thermal power plant at Basundhara in Sundargarh district at an investment of Rs.8,000 crore, said Mishra.

The HLCA also approved the proposal of Tata Power Ltd for change of location from Naraj Marthapur in Cuttack district to Begunia in Khurdha district for a 1,320 MW coal based thermal power plant with an investment of Rs.7,500 crore.

CESC Ltd has proposed to enhance the capacity from 1,000 MW with super critical units at Neulapoi village in Dhenkanal district with an investment of Rs.6,861.84 crore, said the minister.

The HLCA also approved three expansion proposals of Bhusan Power and Steel, Ardent Steel and Utkal Alumina.

While Bhusan Power and Steel proposed for expansion of steel making capacity from 2.80 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 5.5 mtpa at Telkoi in Sambalpur district with an investment of Rs.4,837.60 crore,

Utkal Alumina International Ltd has proposed for expansion of its refinery capacity from 1 mtpa to 1.5 mtpa at Doraguda in Rayagada district, said the minister. It has also proposed for expansion of captive power plant from 50 MW to 90 MW. Utkal Alumina will invest Rs.7,563.70 crore for both projects.

Ardent Steel Ltd will expand its existing iron ore pelletisation plant from 0.60 mtpa to 1.80 mtpa and addition of iron ore beneficiation plant of 3 mtpa and DRI plant of 0.60 mtpa in Keonjhar district.

A day after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik offered all out support to the tourism sector, a number of groups today expressed interest to set up star hotels in the state. Big players from the international hotel industry like Newport, USA and domestic majors like Lemon Tree, Haldiram, Brahmaputra, ITC Fortune and Ramada Plaza are keen to set up hotels in the state, a tourism department official said.  The proposals from the industry came on the second day of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India's (FHRAI) 3-day long golden jubilee convention here.

FHRAI president Tajinder Singh Walia said two premiere five-star hotels will come up in the twin city of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. While the Haldiram Group will construct one and another would be set up by the ITC Fortune Group. One of the two would be set up here, while the other would come up between Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

“Some groups have expressed their interest to set up hotels in the state. They have been told to make formal application and we will provide all facilities available under the state's new IPR-2015," tourism secretary L N Gupta said. Odisha's long coastline, beaches, lakes, dense forests, wilflife, Buddhist sites, ancient monuments and its rich cultural heritage attracted many hotel groups, he said.

The state's tourism and industries departments in a joint presentation at the convention apprised about 800 hotel groups about the unique tourism products and tourism potential of the state. Patnaik in his inaugural speech at the convention yesterday had said the state's new industrial policy resolution, 2015 will give a boost to the tourism industry. For speedy clearance of tourism projects on fast-track basis the state government has set up single window clearance committee at different levels, he added.

Odisha will soon get a state-of the-art cancer institute which will also have research and training programmes in oncology. This was decided at a meeting between US based Mayo Clinic representative Dr Debabrata Mukhopadhyaya and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar. Odisha's health and family welfare minister and chief secretary G C Pati were also present in the meeting.

A press statement released by the chief minister's office said, Mayo Clinic, which is a top global cancer research institute, has expressed its interest to set up a cancer research institute in Odisha. During the meeting, chief minister Patnaik assured Mukhopadhyaya that the state govenrment would provide all possible support for success of the project.

All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will also provide support for setting up the state-of-the-art Cancer Research Insitute in Odisha.

The State government on Saturday cleared investment proposals worth around Rs 1,500 crore within a month of implementing the Industrial Policy Resolution-2015, which focuses on the ease of doing business.

The State-Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) headed by Chief Secretary G C Pati cleared four proposals, including a foreign direct investment (FDI) one.

Baharain-based Midal Cables would set up a 60,000 tonne an annum aluminium rod and conductor plant at Angul Aluminium Park, a joint venture of Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and National Aluminium Company Limited.

"The promoter would invest Rs 358.94 crore and it would generate employment opportunity for 350 people," said senior officer of the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha Limited (IPICOL).

The park, proposed to attract downstream and ancillary industries, has so far received 11 proposals, official sources said.

The SLSWCA also approved a proposal of Indo Pellets Private Limited for setting up of a 6 million-tonne per annum (mtpa) iron ore beneficiation plant and 2.4 mtpa pelltization plant in Keonjhar district with an estimated investment of Rs 926.73 crore. Both the unit would generate direct employment opportunity for 350 people.

The state government also approved the proposal of Kashvi International Private Limited, which has proposed to set up a pelletization plant with an investment of Rs 152.77 crore at Jhumpura in Keonjhar.

Another proposal by the Prakrutik Enterprises Private Limited has also received green light from the State Government to set up a 2 mtpa coal washery plant at Talcher. The plant would invest Rs 104.4 crore, which would provide employment to 200 people, official sources said.

According to IPICOL sources, the State-based agency has been receiving tremendous response on investment in Odisha. "We are examining each case and it would be placed before the SLSWCA very soon," said the officer

The Golden Jubilee Convention of Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) got underway in the capital city of Odisha, Bhubaneswar. The three-day convention was inaugurated by Naveen Patnaik, Hon. Chief Minister, Odisha at Mayfair Lagoon & Convention Centre in the presence of Ministers from both the union and states as well as other government officials. Around 750 delegates from across India are participating in the FHRAI Convention. Inaugurating the Convention, Patnaik said that tourism is a flagship sector for Odisha and the government will provide all possible support to promote and market Odisha as a preferred destination for tourists.

The state has rich diversity in terms of nature, long coastline, green and dense forest, culture and heritage, art and architecture, to attract tourists, stressed the Chief Minister.  

In his address, Ashok Chandra Panda, Tourism Minister, Odisha said that the State has drawn a road map for tourism development and investment promotion. He cited that the Tourism Policy of 2013 and Industrial Policy of 2015 spell out clear guidelines for investment and the support and incentive system. He demanded support of the central department to improve air connectivity to the state and flights connecting Bhubaneswar to Varanasi, Kerala, Goa, etc.

Debi Prasad Mishra, Minister of Industries, School and Mass Education, Odisha spoke on the investor-friendly policies of the state. He said that incentives are set, based on the capacity of the project to create employment. Approvals have been made speedy. Clearances for green projects would not take more than 15 days in the state, he highlighted. A GIS platform has been activated where prospective investor can get all the information on the land availability online, he asserted.  

T S Walia, President, FHRAI; Dilip Ray, CMD, Mayfair Hotels and Chairman, Convention Organising Committee and Vinod Zutshi, Secretary Tourism, Government of India also spoke on the occasion
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Having been chosen to lead the government's ambitious smart port city project, Kandla Port Trust (KPT) andParadip Port Trust (PPT) will invite consultants this month to carry out techno-feasibility studies.

KPT intends to develop 1,500 acres while PPT has plans to develop 400-500 acres. The government wants industries and townships along with wind and solar energy parks around these ports.

Speaking to Business Standard, a senior official in Kandla Port said, "We intend to develop a Smart Industrial Port City (SIPC) within the Kandla, Gandhidham and Adipur Complex located at Gandhidham (Kutch). The objective of hiring a consultant is to prepare a techno-feasibility report."

"We have a land bank of 930 acres in Kandla and 560 acres in Gandhidham. The consultant is likely to submit its report in nine months' time," the official added.

Earlier, Union Minister for Road, Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari had said, "Each major port will construct one smart city with an expenditure of Rs 3,000-4,000 crore." He said the project in Kandla and Gandhidham would serve as a model for other port cities.

On being asked about Paradip Port Trust's plan, a senior official said, "We have a land bank of 400-500 acres for the proposed smart city. We are going to invite consultants to submit their bids by this month." According to officials, the proposed smart port cities will have wide roads, advanced townships, special economic zones and green energy. The ports will also have international benchmarking, ship-breaking and ship-building centres.

The consultant will prepare master plans based on strategies pertaining to development of SIPC. It will also study job creation by industry type and scale of investment in infrastructure.

In addition, it will identify benefits of development of SIPC, including estimation of economic growth targets and sector-specific employment opportunities, particularly for people from economic weaker sections.estimation of economic growth targets sector-specific employment opportunities, particularly for the people from economic weaker sections.

The mid-sized IT company, MindTree will invest around Rs 125 crore for the next two phases of expansion at itsBhubaneswar campus which has been built over 20 acres of land.

MindTree Kalinga today formally launched its global learning centre and a centre of excellence for the insurance domain. The insurance segment contributes about 14 per cent to the overall company's revenues. The company has invested Rs 125 crore in the Phase-I.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the MindTree Kalinga Bhubaneswar centre.

"The investment will be approximately be the same, another Rs 125 crore, for the Phase II and Phase III. The physical infrastructure is already there and the plans for next phases will be mainly for software development", Krishnakumar Natarajan, chief executive officer and co-founder, MindTree told mediapersons. The Phase-II expansion will start in December.

MindTree, co-headquartered in Bangalore and Warren in New Jersey (US), had signed a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the state government on August 2006.

About 272,000 square feet have been developed in the Phase-I. The learning centre has capacity to train 2,500 engineers (MindTree minds) annually recruited from different parts of the world in a 90 day immersive learning curriculum. 690 MindTree employees have been trained here already, said the company chairman Subroto Bagchi.

Presently, 800 technical associates are working at the campus.

"There is need to transform Bhubnaeswar from Tier II city to Tier I city for attracting investments. We must get international flight connections like to Dubai, elevated highway to Infocity, planning for metro rail in Bhubaneswar, improvement of quality education at the engineering colleges of the state", Bagchi added.

The lack of infrastructure facility will slow down the business, said Natarajan. MindTree has 61 per cent clients from United States and 27 percent from Europe.

Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Patnaik assured all support for the future expansion of the MindTree campus in the city.

"I am happy that this campus is the Global Learning Centre of MindTree to groom 2,500 young engineers annually for building the digital workforce of tomorrow, and at present 800 technical associates are working here. I hope, MindTree shall continue to expand its growth and employment contribution from Bhubaneswar in future. I would like to assure here that the state government will provide all possible support to MindTree for its future expansion in the state," he said. The state government has set a target to create one lakh jobs in IT sector in the next five years.

Odisha has become the first state in the country to launch a mobile app exclusively for investment facilitation. The state government unveiled the latest edition of its industrial policy — the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2015, and also rolled out its dedicated web portal (investodisha.org) on Thursday to ease business processes for investors. The new IPR was launched after a gap of eight years.

The 'Invest Odisha' mobile app is currently available on the Android platform. The app is expected to be made available across all operating systems shortly.

To prepare a comprehensive roadmap for 'Ease of Doing Business', the state government today inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy of Singapore.

"A ke feature of the policy is to support industries with high employment potential. An innovative employment rating based system is adopted to provide incentives in power tariff and manpower training cost for employment intensive industries", said chief minister Naveen Patnaik after launching the IPR. The chief minister also unveiled an 'Investors' Guide to Doing Business and Investing in Odisha'.

Recognising the need for provision of appropriate industrial infrastructure to promote and sustain investments in manufacturing sector, the policy provides for an initial corpus of Rs 100 crore to provide external infrastructure like access roads, power and water to the industrial clusters.

State industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said: "It is one of the best industrial policies when compared to other states. Along with the IPR 2015, operational guidelines have also been issued."

The IPR aims to enhance the share of manufacturing sector to the state GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) to 15 per cent by 2019. The state is banking on the new IPR to draw investments of Rs 1.73 lakh crore and create three lakh new jobs by that period.

Another important feature of the new policy is to fast track the approvals through technology integration and dedicated investor facilitation cells. For instance, green category industries will now be approved within 15 days and for other projects, the approvals will be accorded within 30 days.

Under the new IPR, stamp duty would be exempted in respect of land alloted by the state government or its agency Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) to developers of private industrial estates.

IDCO has also identified 420,000 acres of land and has applied for acquisition/alienation of 75000 acres of land for industrial purposes under the land bank scheme.

Bhubaneswar: In good news for the State, World Bank has ranked Odisha in the seventh position in ease of doing business in India with a 52.12 per cent score. While Gujurat tops the list with the highest 71.14 per cent, Andhra Pradesh bagged the second position with 70.12 per cent followed by Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Odisha, usually a laggard, has scored much better than many other developed States like Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana and Tamil Nadu and managed to find a place in top-10 list.

Sponsored by the Department of Industry Policy and Promotion (DIPP), the Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms report was prepared by World Bank in association with KPMG, CII and FICCI.

Among the major States, West Bengal occupied the 11th slot, Tamil Nadu (12th), Haryana (14th), Delhi (15th), Punjab (16th), Himachal Pradesh (17th), Kerala (18th), Goa (19th), Bihar (21st) and Assam (22nd).
Arunachal Pradesh is ranked the last with 1.23 percent.

The ranking of the States was based on eight specified parameters which include setting up of business, allotment of land, labour reforms and procedure for environmental clearance. Other parameters included infrastructure, procedure for registration for tax purposes and inspections for compliance of various norms.

Aluminium major National Aluminium Company Ltd (NALCO) said it will invest Rs 30,000 crore in Odisha, which has unveiled a new industrial policy aimed at attracting investments worth Rs 1,73,000 crore. 

"Out of the prospective investors in Odisha,Nalco is in a position to invest to the tune of Rs 30,000 crore," the state-owned company's CMD T K Chand said. 

The CMD referred to the recent launch of Odisha's new industrial policy 2015  through which the state is well-poised to attract investments to the tune of Rs 1,73,000 crore.

Aiming to step up growth by boosting manufacturing sector, Odisha Government on Thursday unveiled a new industrial policy with plans to attract fresh investments of Rs1,73,000 crore in over four years.

“The policy lays the road map to realise the vision of enhancing the share of manufacturing to 15% of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) by attracting new investments to the tune of Rs1,73,000 crore,” chief minister Naveen Patnaik said launching the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR­2015) in Bhubaneswar.

Targeting direct employment to about three lakh people with the new IPR, Patnaik said while mines and minerals would continue to be in focus, the policy would usher in new investments in manufacturing sector and make Odisha a destination for both domestic and international investors.

The specific sectors under focus include industries like auto components ancillary and downstream units, chemicals and petro-chemicals, electronics system design & manufacturing (ESDM), food processing, IT/ITes, plastics, and textiles.

IPR-2015 is aimed at attracting investors and pivoted on the ‘ease of doing business’ framework, incentivising new economy sectors and employment ­intensive industries in the state, while outlining the government’s resolve to broad-base value added manufacturing facilities from being largely mining and mineral dependent.

Given Odisha’s strategic advantages, it is uniquely placed to attract substantial investments in the focus sectors. IPR 2015 offers employment­-based incentives to prospective investors.

Other incentives include grants for private sector investments in both greenfield and brownfield infrastructure, subsidies in power tariff, training, capital investment and reimbursement of value­-added tax, stamp duty exemption and concessional land cost for investments in specific sectors.

An analysis, conducted by the State government following the discontinuance of National Mission on Food Processing (NMFP) from April 1 this year, says that given the potential of the State, augmenting the growth of food processing from 0.7 per cent to 10 per cent by 2017 and 25 per cent by 2025 is possible.

The total agricultural crop production in Odisha has nearly doubled from 46.32 lakh metric tonne in 2002-03 to 87.47 lakh MT in 2009-10. Food production has witnessed an upward trend in production since 2002-03 at 35.55 lakh MT to reach 75.51 lakh MT in 2009-10.

“There is a need to diversify the sector by fully harnessing its potentialities, providing greater incentives as well as creating conducive environment for more investments and exports,” according to the analysis.

According to a government estimate, as of 2013-14, Odisha had approximately 27,284 enterprises engaged in the food and allied sectors generating over 1.47 lakh employment opportunities with an investment of more than Rs. 1,557.86 crore.

On 1 August 2015, Odisha government announced its decision to set up the proposed Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) at Berhampur, in Ganjam district of South Odisha.

Sanjay Dasburma, state minister for employment, technical education and training stated that the government would provide 200 acres of land for IISER. The academic session at IISER would commence from 2016-17. A high-level committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of chief secretary G C Pati to accelerate the process of setting up of the institute.

Arun Jaitley, union finance minister had announced the establishment of IISER in Odisha and Nagaland in the budget for 2015-16. The IISERs are a group of most premier science education and research institutes in the country. The institutes were created by the Government of India, through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), under The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010.

Indian Oil Corpn Ltd plans to set up a pet coke gasification plant with an investment of Rs.150 billion in the Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) hub being established at Paradip in Odisha. IOCL is the anchor tenant in this hub and is in process of setting up its refinery.

The company also plans to invest another Rs.90 billion for establishing a paraxylene purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant at the same location. The project, expected to be commissioned by 2020, will have an annual capacity of 1 million tonnes (mt). At present, the company is undertaking feasibility study for the project.

Odisha based steel maker Mideast Integrated Steels Ltd (Mesco Steel) has announced a two phase expansion plan worth Rs.10 billion for Maithan Ispat, a company that it acquired in March 2015. Commissioning of the revamped project is scheduled for July 2017. Mesco Steel in first phase, will invest Rs.3 billion to add an electric arc furnace of 50 tonne, a billet castor of the same capacity and a rolling mill. Two DRI kilns of 500 tonne per day capacity each will also be added. A consortium of nine banks led by State Bank of India (SBI) has approved a loan of Rs.1.7 billion while Mesco will invest Rs.1.30 billion as equity. In its second phase, capacity of the existing power plant will be increased from 30 mw to 90 mw. This phase envisages an investment of Rs.7 billion, to be met from internal accruals and credit from equipment suppliers.

Construction of the first phase of the proposed six million tonne per annum (mtpa) capacity steel plant has already been completed. In the first phase, Tata Steel will produce 3 mtpa hot-rolled steel from the Kalinganagar facility which is company’s second steel mill after 10 mtpa capacity plant at Jamshedpur.

“We have already started heating of coke oven plant from May 19. Gradually, we will set other mechanical processes in motion. The sequencing of activities is likely to be completed within next three to four months,” said Rajiv Kumar, Vice-President (operation) of Kalinganagar project.

The plant built with very advanced engineering, and modern technology is coming up on 3,000 acres here, which is about 100 km from Bhubaneswar. The plant has one of the India’s largest blast furnaces of 4,330 cubic meters with on-site power generation through gas discharged by coke oven and blast furnace. The company has already invested nearly Rs.22,000 crore out of Rs.25,000 crore estimated for installing three mtpa capacity in the first phase. The steel major will invest another Rs.15,000 crore in the second phase to achieve 6 mtpa capacity steel production by 2019.

KORAPUT: A team of senior officials from Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) have zeroed in on 3 acres of land at Phulabado on the outskirts of Jeypore in Odisha's Koraput district to set up a software technology park.

An eight-member team, including STPI director Manas Ranjan Panda and deputy secretary of state's IT sector Aditya Mohapatra, along with officials from the state government visited the area on Friday for a feasibility study.

There are certain criteria which should be fulfilled for the establishment of such a park and the place at Phulobado fulfills certain conditions. "We will submit our report to the centre in next one week and it depends on the union government either to approve or reject the proposal," said Panda.

"Once the report is accepted by the Centre works for it will begin. Presently, no budget estimate has been prepared for the project," he added.

According to Panda, the objective of the software park is to act as front-end to the software industry for the government policies and approvals and to establish and provide data communication facilities and infrastructure facilities.

Also, it aims to promote development and export of software and the services.

Officials said the area is well connected, as it lies on the NH-26, making residential accommodation for employees easy. It also has access to water and round-the-clock power supply. The area has proximity to airstrip and railway station.

The state government has approved the expansion plans of Bhushan Power & Steel Ltd (BPSL) and Aditya Birla Group owned firm Utkal Alumina Ltd.

BPSL has proposed to expand steel-making capacity of its Thelkoli plant under Rengali tehsil near Sambalpur from 2.8 million tonne per annum (mtpa) to 5.5 mtpa at a cost of Rs 4,837 crore.

“The State Level Single Window Clearance Authority (SLSWCA) has approved the expansion plan and recommended it to the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA). The project is slated to generate 998 additional jobs,” said Kalyan Mohanty, general manager of state-owned Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha Ltd (Ipicol).

The SLSWCA also okayed the expansion of Utkal Alumina to ramp up capacity of its alumina refining unit at Daruguda near Rayagada to 1.5 mtpa from the existing one mtpa. The investment in the refinery at full capacity is estimated at Rs 7,563 crore. This expansion plan has also been referred to HLCA. The SLSWCA headed by the state chief secretary is empowered to approve investment proposals up to Rs 1,000 crore while proposals beyond this investment figure needs the approval of HLCA chaired by the chief minister.

In the steel sector, the single window cleared two more proposals- pelletisation plants proposed by Ardent Steel and Pro Minerals.

Ardent Steel will pump in Rs 4,031 crore to expand pellet plant capacity from 0.6 mtpa to 1.8 mtpa at Phuljhar in Keonjhar district. The expansion is expected to generate incremental employment for 1,390 people.

Similarly, Pro Minerals is keen to establish one mtpa pellet plant at Basantpur in Keonjhar district at an investment of Rs 238 crore. The pellet unit is tipped to create direct employment for 192 persons. The company already has a beneficiation plant at the location.

In the cement sector, the SLSWCA approved the proposal of Ramco Cement to establish 0.9 mtpa cement grinding unit at a cost of Rs 406 crore. The plant will come up within the premises of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA) at Choudwar and create jobs for 105 people.

Kolkata-based Saraf Agencies’ plan to set up 15 Mw captive power plant (CPP) at Chhatrapur (in Ganjam district), the site of its upcoming titanium dioxide plant, also got the nod of the SLSWCA. The promoter would invest Rs 99.35 crore on the CPP that needs an additional manpower of 49.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) has proposed to create a storage tank, to be used as a common user facility, at Berhampur at an investment of Rs 280 crore. The oil marketing company would employ 622 people for this facility. This proposal too got the go-ahead from the SLSWCA.