The 5-day-long national-level industrial exhibition-cum-seminar, ‘Odisha Moves Forward’ organised by the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) to mark its 50 year completion concluded on Wednesday.

Energy and Information and Public Relations Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo, Industry Department Secretary and IDCO CMD Vishal Dev, MSME Department Secretary Panchanan Dash, Tata Steel’s Kalinga Nagar project head Arun Mishra graced the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Sahoo highlighted a few aspects of the State’s growth in the last decade.

“The State has achieved the highest poverty reduction rate, 24.6 per cent, in the country and the per capita income has grown from `14,882 in 1999 to `27,000 now. Besides, Odisha earns the credit of being the second highest State in attracting FDI,” he said, adding that corporate, industry and service sectors contributed a lot in the State’s growth.

The Minister informed that the State Government is planning to bring all the energy PSUs under one roof soon. “Plans are being made to construct a ‘Shakti Bhawan’ very soon in order to accommodate offices of OHPC, OPGC, NSPC, GDCl, GRIDCO, and NTPC at one place,” he informed.

The UCCI awarded different industrial houses and entrepreneurs for making outstanding contributions to the fields of industry, business and services.

Besides, it distributed digital hearing aids to hearing impaired children on the occassion. Chamber’s president Ramesh Mahapatra welcomed the guests and secretary Debabrata Dash offered vote of thanks.

A seminar on “From exclusion to inclusion, promotion of universal accessibility” was organised in the valedictory session. Chairperson of State Commission for Persons with Disabilities Dr Kashturi Mohapatra, labour and Employment Ministry’s Rehabilitation Officer Ram Kishore Sharma, National Centre for Accessible Environments’ Anjilee Agarwal, Women and Child Development Secretary Arti Ahuja and Tata Steel’s Arun Mishra participated in the seminar.