Odisha is focusing on textiles as a priority sector : Minister of State, HT & amp H Dept., Govt. of Odisha, deliberates at the Make In Odisha Roadshow in Kolkata

Odisha Tazanews (7 Sept ,September) Bhubaneswar :- “While the metal sector has been an inherent strength of Odisha owing to our natural resource advantage, the Government of Odisha has taken proactive measures to broad base the industrial ecosystem in the state. Some of these measures include the identification of priority and focus sectors, development of sectoral policies, development of sectoral industrial parks and infrastructure etc. This is the result of the visionary leadership and pro- industry approach of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik in enabling Odisha to become a major industrial hub in India”, Smt Rita Sahu, Hon&’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, Government of Odisha said while addressing the Odisha Roadshow in Kolkata today.

The Roadshow is focusing on Textiles and is a lead-up to the third Make in Odisha Conclave which is happening in November – December 2022.   According to Smt Sahu, textiles is one such focus sector where Odisha hopes to achieve exponential growth in the coming years. Smt. Sahu also spoke about her Government developing a Petroleum, Chemical, and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) in Paradeep with IOCL as the anchor tenant. Odisha is surely developing as a key investment destination in the chemicals and petrochemicals sector, and I would urge investors in the technical textile sector to come to Odisha and explore our latest offerings in this geography, she added.

She further said that the Government is developing a technical textile park in association with Indian Oil with a state-of-the- art facility and best-in-class facilitation at Bhadrak, which is close to Kolkata and West Bengal in general. Smt Sahu urged investors in the apparel and textile sector to come to Odisha and check the ecosystem and the investor friendly policy support for potential investors. Speaking at the Roadshow, Smt. Shubha Sarma, IAS, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Handlooms, Textiles &  Handicrafts Department, Government of Odisha extended an invite to all present to visit Odisha and attend the Make in Odisha Conclave’22 to witness first-hand what Odisha has to offer.

   She said that “our Government understands that to attract investors we need to build a conducive business ecosystem. While progressive policies are certainly a part of it, we also need to build infrastructure and improve the ease of doing business”. “And we have done that,” the Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts Department, Government of Odisha said in her address. She said it is interesting that several decades ago, Odisha had a large number of cooperatives in the spinning, power loom and textile mills space which were supported and promoted by the Government. Most of them were closed down, and learning from that experience, the Government of Odisha is looking to create enabling conditions and leave it to professionals to do the actual business, she added.

Ms Sarma said that the government officials have a certain expertise. And professional industrial leaders bring on board professional knowledge and experience. So, according to her, the endeavour of the Odisha Government is to get the best of both worlds and achieve success. Ms Sarma reiterated that while Odisha has always been known for its magnificent handloom industry, the Government is now firmly focusing on technical textile as well. She spoke about the proposed Mega Textile Park at Gopalpur in a 1000 acres land parcel with all international standard common facilities for the units in the Park under MITRA scheme of Government of India.

She added that “Make in Odisha Conclave’22, our flagship investment summit has been conceptualized to not just showcase these vast existing and emerging opportunities in Odisha but also to build a platform for global leaders to discuss the future of business, trade and commerce, skilling and much more.” Shri Susanta Kumar Dash, IAS, Director, Directorate of Textiles &  Handlooms, Government of Odisha said that the state has built sectoral industrial parks like technical textile park, mega textile parks etc. and investment regions with plug-and-play facilities and best- in-class infrastructure, simplified processes and instituted one of the best single window systems for investor facilitation, Go-Swift.

Mr Dash said that the recently started World Skills Centre in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Institute of Technical Education Services (ITEES), Singapore is India’s first and one-of-its-kind skill premier institutes to impart advanced skills and create globally employable youth in the State. Mr Prashant Sharma, Chairman, West Bengal State Council & Managing Director, Charnock Hospital gave an overview of the Odisha Government’s initiatives to have a robust and industry friendly ecosystem and added his own invite to guests present to be at the Make in Odisha Conclave. While the Roadshow was attended by more than 150 delegates, representatives of 15 textile and apparel industries had one-to- one meeting with the senior government delegation from the HT & H Department, Government of Odisha.