BHUBANESWAR: A pioneer in sports promotion and development in the country, Odisha will soon come up with a new policy to attract investors in sports goods manufacturing, fitness and wellness industries.
In a meeting with leading sports goods manufacturers here on Thursday, Principal Secretary of Industries department Hemant Sharma discussed several components of the proposed policy and solicited suggestions. The policy offers capital investment, interest subsidy, SGST reimbursement, electricity tariff and duty relaxation apart from employment-related provisions. It will help set up a sports goods cluster in the State to cater to domestic markets and for export.
Sharma said 11 high-performance centres in 10 sports disciplines, 89 indoor stadiums, 20 hockey training centres, 16 sports hostels and 314 rural mini stadiums have been built across Odisha. The State has also hosted several international sporting events including Asian Athletics Championships-2017, Men’s Hockey World Cup-2018 and the ongoing Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup-2021.
Odisha is bestowed with decent infrastructure, stable government and highly skilled workforce and is an ideal investment destination. Sharma invited investors, sports goods manufacturers and exporters’ associations to explore opportunities in the State.
Since the State is strategically located, the Industries Secretary said manufacturers can import raw materials from the South-East Asian countries and cater to domestic needs in the eastern and north-eastern region of the country as well as export to other countries.
Representatives of sports goods manufacturers and exporters’ association and other sports associations participated in the meet and appreciated the government’s labour policy, power tariff and enthusiasm in sports.