BHUBANESWAR: Claiming Odisha has witnessed all-round growth in the last 24 years, the BJD on Thursday stated over the last five years alone more than 1,860 industrial projects valued at over Rs 11.63 lakh crore have been approved and 7.33 lakh job opportunities created in the state.
Odisha’s industrial landscape has undergone a notable transformation, resulting in a surge in employment prospects due to the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, BJD national spokespersons Santrupt Misra and Sasmit Patra told mediapersons here. The rebuttal has come following allegations by Opposition BJP and Congress that industrial growth in Odisha during BJD’s tenure in government has stagnated and unemployment problem grown substantially.
The BJD leaders stated the share of industry sector in state’s economy in 2022-23 was 41.3 per cent as compared to the national average of 28.5 per cent. The share of Odisha in India’s mining manufacturing gross value added (GVA) has also increased from 2.9 per cent in 2011-12 to 4.2 per cent in 2022-23 which is 1.5 per cent growth in a decade. Similarly, Odisha’s exports as share of India’s exports has grown from 2.2 per cent in 2016-17 to 4.1 per cent in 2022-23, they added.
Misra said Odisha has firmly established itself as a leading investment destination in India. The last five years have been particularly transformative, with rapid project implementation and a significant improvement in the business environment, he said.
The BJD leaders said while the overall industrial development in Odisha in the last two decades has been considerable, sectoral growth in core sectors like metals, power, cement has also been phenomenal. Odisha has attracted some top international and national investors including Arcelor Mittal-Nippon, JSW in steel sector, Indo-Nissin, Brittania, Nestle in food processing sector, L&T, Avaada in green hydrogen and its derivative and JSW Group in EV and EV components sector, they added.
The state has been able to broadbase its industrial eco-system with investments in new sectors, they said adding places like Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur on the east coast, Dhenkanal and Angul in the central part, Sambalpur and Bargarh in western Odisha, and Rayagada and Koraput in southern Odisha have seen rapid industrial growth.
Stating the industrial infrastructure budget has increased from Rs 50 crore in 2015-16 to over Rs 556 crore in 2023-24, the party spokespersons said the state’s strategic approach to broadening its industrial base and improving ease of doing business is expected to drive further growth and prosperity.