BHUBANESWAR: Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain said on Friday that Odisha has emerged as the second-highest investment destination in the country under the Utkarsh Odisha initiative.
Addressing the ‘CII MSME Connect Series 2026: Expanding Business Horizon’ event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, Swain emphasised that achieving the vision of Samrudha Odisha and Viksit Bharat by 2036 and 2047 would require MSMEs to grow alongside large industries. “Odisha has emerged as the second-highest investment destination in the country after Andhra Pradesh under the Utkarsh Odisha initiative,” he said.
The minister stressed the need for stronger coordination between MSMEs and anchor industries, along with industrial area mapping to identify MSME opportunities around large industries.
The conference brought together senior government officials, industry leaders and MSMEs to strengthen industrial collaboration and create new business opportunities for the MSME sector.
MSME secretary Rashmita Panda highlighted the growing strength of Odisha’s MSME ecosystem, stating that the state has more than 14 lakh MSMEs registered under Udyam. She emphasised the importance of vendor development, stronger industry connect and ease of doing business, while underlining the government’s focus on sectors such as food processing, mineral and metal and textiles.
CII state council chairman Anil Kumar Singh, CII Odisha vice-chairman Manikanta Naik, former state council former chairman of CII Odisha Pradipta Mohanty and Sanjay Pattnaik also spoke. Over 200 MSMEs took part in the conference.