BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday said his government’s immediate priority was to convert investment commitments received during his three-day UAE outreach into projects on the ground at the earliest, with the aim of creating large-scale employment opportunities for Odisha’s youth.
Majhi, who received a rousing welcome at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here from ministers, MLAs and party workers after returning from the Gulf nation, said the government would now focus on ensuring that the proposals materialise into projects and jobs.
“The government is utilising its maximum strength for the golden future of our youth. The objective of the visit was to attract investments that can create jobs and ensure that young people find dignified employment in Odisha after completing their education,” Majhi said in his media briefing after his arrival in the capital.
The chief minister said with the latest commitments, Odisha’s cumulative investment proposals have crossed Rs 22.5 lakh crore from over Rs 20 lakh crore earlier. “The successful UAE engagements have marked another chapter in the state’s industrialisation drive following the Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave held in Bhubaneswar in January last year. Since then, the government has undertaken investment outreach programmes in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gujarat and Singapore, besides the UAE,” he said.
During the UAE visit, the delegation led by Majhi held 52 business meetings, including six roundtables and 46 one-to-one meetings, engaging nearly 400 industry leaders and representatives in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. It resulted in eight MoUs and 16 investment intents, together involving proposed investments of Rs 2,43,162 crore. The projects are expected to generate around nine lakh jobs, including 6,18,725 direct employment opportunities, Majhi said.
A key focus of the visit was the proposed investment by UAE-based International Holding Company (IHC) in partnership with the Adani Group. Majhi held discussions with UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the International Investors Council Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri and IHC managing director Syed Basar Shueb.
“The UAE engagement should not be viewed merely as an exercise in securing investment commitments but as an effort to build long-term economic partnerships and open new markets for Odisha. The state will also seek to leverage the UAE’s strategic location to expand exports to West Asia and other international markets, particularly in sectors where Odisha has an established production base,” he said.
The government’s immediate priority, he said, was to translate MoUs and investment intents into operational projects at the earliest. Skill development initiatives are also being expanded to prepare local youth for jobs in upcoming factories and offices.
Majhi reiterated the government’s goal of building a ‘Samruddha Odisha’ by 2036 and developing the state into a $500 billion economy within the next decade.