BHUBANESWAR: The State government has made a strong pitch for Japanese investment in steel, aluminium downstream, chemicals, petrochemicals, sea food processing, electronics and automobile manufacturing.
Chairing a seminar on ‘exploring the possibilities of new Japanese investment in Odisha’ here on Thursday, Minister of State for Industry, MSME and Energy Dibya Sankar Mishra said Japan has been a treasured partner of India and Odisha.
He said that Odisha under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is committed to build an everlasting relationship with Japan both in industrial and cultural spheres. Mishra said many Odia people have made Japan their home. “The Japanese people and artistes like Masako Ono have become a part of Odishan culture”, he added.
Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra said Odisha under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister is now a preferred destination of investment and assured all support to the Japanese investors for their smooth operation. Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that the case for Japanese investment in Odisha is well made. The robust infrastructure, strong political will and enabling bureaucracy coupled with the natural resources are great strengths of Odisha.
He assured all support from the Government of India for successful investments in Odisha. Outlining the scope for Japanese investment, Principal Secretary Industry Hemant Sharma said that industry and service sectors are contributing around 80 percent of State’s GDP. He said the single window system of the State is first of its kind, and it supports the industries throughout their investment lifecycle.
Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Japan to India Satoshi Suzuki who led the Japanese delegation in his address appreciated the support provided by Odisha government to the Japanese investors. He hoped that the recent industrial and developmental surge in the State would be more helpful in realisation of new Japanese investments in Odisha.
Chairmen, Managing Directors and Chief Executives of the leading industries like Arcelor Mittal, Nippon Steel, TRL Krosaki, Tata Group, Aditya Birla, Indo-Nissin Foods, Reliance and Mindtree shared their experience in Odisha with the potential investors of Japan. Around 10 investors from big industrial houses of Japan participated in the seminar and interacted with senior officers of the State.