Principal Secretary, Industries Hemant Sharma on Wednesday said that in terms of infrastructure, policy framework, incentive structure and governance, the State of Odisha compares well with other competing States.

Addressing a webinar on topic,  'Investment Opportunities in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) Sector in Odisha,' organised jointly by the Government of Odisha and the FICCI Odisha State Council, Sharma said that a new policy would be launched soon that will further improve what the State offers today in terms of incentive and support. “Odisha boasts of the best skills ecosystem in the region. Also, IPICOL’s investment facilitation mechanism is the best in the country.

It was awarded by the Government of India last year in this regard.  From concept to commissioning, Odisha provides best facilitation, not only in the region, but in the country as a whole,” Sharma said. 

Speaking at the event, Officer on Special Duty, Industries Department, OIEPO,Sanjeeb Kumar Mishra  said that Odisha had been the harbinger of soft power in the country. “Even though the State has been seeing a constant growth in the GDP and CAGR numbers, we know that we need more growth and more investments,” he said. Mishra further added that more than investments, the State needs more employment generating sectors. “We need to create more jobs,” he noted.

Electronics and Information Technology Department Secretary Manoj Kumar Mishra made a detailed presentation on ESDM sector scenario and associated policies.“The State is majorly known for its mining and metallurgy sector but in the last couple of years, our focus has been on job creation in the white-collar sectors.

Therefore, activities are being churned out and a lot of policies are being fine-tuned to attract industry,” he said.IPICOL MD Nitin B Jawale made a presentation on the overall industrial scenario in the State.