BHUBANESWAR: Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, who urged the Centre to set up an Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in the Capital, has requested Odisha Government to pitch in with support. In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, she proposed that the State Government could provide five-acre land in the city and Rs 5 crore towards infrastructure support for the implementation of the project.
On July 3, Sarangi had met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and stated that Bhubaneswar is emerging as a cosmopolitan city in the eastern coast as it is headquarters to many leading PSUs, including Mahanadi Coalfields and Nalco. The city has also seen the presence of IT majors like Infosys, Wipro, TCS, TechMahindra and Mindtree.
A rapid growth in seafood exports from Odisha has also seen companies setting up shop in the city.
The first-time MP pointed out that though Bhubaneswar has made its mark as an academic hub with the establishment of many universities and institutes of national repute, absence of an academic institution focusing on issues of foreign trade, export and import and trade laws in the city has created a vacuum in supporting the export initiative from Odisha.
Establishment of an IIFT in Bhubaneswar will also be in conformation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on the growth of eastern India, she said. The Member of Parliament also sought support from the State Government for the project. “There are many States which have offered land free of cost and extended infrastructure support for the establishment of IIFT,” Sarangi stated in her letter to Naveen and urged him to issue necessary instructions for identification of five-acre land in Bhubaneswar and Rs 5 crores as infrastructure support for immediate implementation of the project.
“IIFT has established itself as a prestigious institution in areas of foreign trade, export and import and trade-related laws. Its presence in the Capital is bound to give a fillip to export initiatives from the State and open up additional employment opportunities for young students from the State,” she pointed out in the letter.