New Delhi: The backbone of Odisha’s pitch to big industry is its 5Ts – transparency, technology, time, teamwork, and transformation – which, according to officials, aims to reshape governance and “set a benchmark for others to follow”.
The enterprise is headed by former IAS-turned-politician V.K. Pandian, who is the chairman of 5T (Transformational Initiatives).
Pandian said Odisha was scraping the barrel regarding investments in the 2000s. “But today, Odisha stands at second rank in manufacturing investment in the country only after Maharashtra,” he said.
Pandian, who joined Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal last November, said the administration now prioritises transparency in resource allocation, efficient infrastructure development, and fostering a business-friendly atmosphere.
“The government is committed to the philosophy of the 5Ts,” he added, informing that Odisha was poised to get one of the biggest steel plants in the world, ArcelorMittal and Nippon. “We have just got one of the upcoming green steel plants in the world with JSW. We are getting the first green ammonia project in the country. We are the first state to sign with JSW for electronic vehicle manufacturing,” he lists the portfolio build-up.
State administrators have also begun to free the industry from the licensing system, and encourage local entrepreneurship.
Odisha has attracted Rs 36,000 crores in fresh investments since 2021, mainly from renewable industries, officials said, adding the state’s industrial sector has also diversified – IT and food processing are among the sectors witnessing significant investment.
The state is doing well in chemicals, petrochemicals, textiles, and apparel, and attracts investments in green hydrogen, green ammonia, data centres, EV, and EV components, they said.
Odisha is resource-rich in mineral, marine, agricultural and forest wealth, officers said, adding it has abundant reserves of coal, iron ore, bauxite, chromite, limestone, manganese, tin, nickel, gemstones, and granite.
The state also focuses on increasing wealth for businesswomen though “Mission Shakti” which provides new economic opportunities, training them in modern trades like fashion, lifestyle, commercial stitching, and beauty and wellness.
Odisha’s women have gained a foothold in traditionally male-dominated supply chains with the provision of point-of-sale machines, smartphones, and branding on government e-marketplace or GeM. Young women are being equipped with AI and data analytics skills through collaborations with Meta and Coursera. The 2023-24 budget has allocated more than Rs 10,000 crore to women, officials said.
On India’s eastern coast, Odisha also has access to rapidly growing markets in the ASEAN and East Asia. The state supports industrial growth through port-led development initiatives, government officials said. Paradip Port is the second largest port in India, and Dharma, Gopalpur and Subarnarekha ports are expected to further industrial development.
At the plenary session of the “Make in Odisha’ conclave in 2016, former Union minister Arun Jaitley had famously said that Odisha was a test case for India’s growth story. “How fast the transformation of Odisha takes place is the touchstone of how India is growing,” he said. He also highlighted how Odisha, often perceived as lagging in economic development, had remarkably halved its poverty rate over the past two decades.
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