Odisha on track to become India’s largest investment hub: CM Majhi

Bhubaneswar, Dec 22 : Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday expressed confidence that the state is poised to emerge as India’s largest investment hub, citing highly encouraging outcomes from the Odisha Investors’ Meet and Roadshow held in Hyderabad.

Addressing the media after returning from the two-day outreach programme, the Chief Minister said the roadshow generated investment commitments worth Rs. 66,781 crore with an employment potential of 56,340 jobs, describing it as one of the most successful investor engagement initiatives undertaken by the Odisha government.

Majhi said Odisha’s industrial journey has now moved decisively from potential to implementation. During the two-day programme, 73 high-level meetings were held along with two sector-specific roundtables. One roundtable focused on the pharmaceutical sector with participation from eight major pharma companies, while the other centred on the defence sector involving 27 defence-related firms.

Noting that pharmaceuticals and defence are currently underrepresented sectors in the state, the Chief Minister said the focused discussions played a key role in attracting investor interest. He also held one-to-one meetings with 38 industrialists.

The discussions covered investment opportunities across diverse sectors including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, defence manufacturing, renewable energy equipment, electronics and IT, data centres, textiles and technical textiles, and advanced manufacturing.

The mega roadshow saw participation from over 500 industrialists, business associations, and institutional stakeholders, who were briefed on Odisha’s industrial ecosystem, infrastructure strengths, and policy-driven growth model.

Announcing future plans, Majhi said a major milestone in the state’s industrial journey will be marked by ‘Enterprise Odisha’, scheduled to be held in Rourkela on January 28–29, while an industrial conclave in Kolkata is also in the pipeline.

To further ease and accelerate investments, the Chief Minister said around 23 outdated laws are being amended to align with present-day requirements. He added that the next three months will focus on implementing approved proposals and grounding projects to boost investor confidence.

During the visit, Majhi and senior officials also visited Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) in Hyderabad to strengthen Odisha’s linkage with India’s defence and aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. He said Odisha plans to develop its own defence manufacturing base with a focus on MSMEs, startups, skilled manpower, and precision manufacturing, with preparations underway for missile component manufacturing in the state.

Highlighting the state’s industrial progress, Majhi said that since Utkarsh Odisha 2025, projects worth Rs. 4.38 lakh crore have been approved, creating employment potential for 2,55,817 people. Over the last 18 months, industrial projects worth Rs. 2.10 lakh crore have been inaugurated or grounded, generating 1,63,725 jobs.

Industry leaders, he added, have lauded Odisha’s clear policies, improved infrastructure, and responsible governance, increasingly viewing the state as India’s future growth engine.