BHUBANESWAR : With at least 12 countries participating in the upcoming Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha Conclave 2025, a special session on countries-of-focus will be the spotlight of the flagship investment summit scheduled to be held on January 28 and 29 at Janata Maidan here.
Along with Singapore, the country partner of the two-day event, sources said, Australia, Malaysia, Japan, US, UK, Germany, Poland, Cuba, South Africa, UAE and Venezuela have also confirmed their participation. Diplomats and country representatives will be discussing global collaborations and avenues for trade and commerce during the special session.
Unlike previous summits, Utkarsh Odisha will adopt a more focused approach, emphasising sector-specific investments. While Odisha has traditionally been known for its strength in metals and minerals, this conclave seeks to broaden the horizon and explore investments in new sectors.
Sources said IT, renewable energy, chemicals, textile and food processing have been selected as five focused sectors this time. Along with the top-20 companies from each sector, this year’s edition is expected to be a landmark event, featuring participation from at least 100 Fortune-500 companies, signalling a global interest in the state’s investment potential.
Additional chief secretary of Industries department Hemant Sharma said Utkarsh Odisha will be different from previous investment summits in many ways as it would be more focused and specific to certain sectors.
“Apart from the metals and minerals, new and emerging segments like renewable energy equipment, green fuels, specialty capitals, specialty metal, technical textile, large-scale textile raw material manufacturing, downstream of petrochemicals have been focused for the first time,” he said.
On the eve of the inaugural day on January 27, CII will hold its national executive body council meetings. Coinciding with these meetings, the state government has also planned five sectoral sessions at different star hotels prior to the formal inauguration of the business summit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 28.
The event also marks a strategic shift towards inclusive industrial growth by combining opportunities for both large industries and small businesses. For the first time, the state government will felicitate 60 local entrepreneurs under the age of 40 for their initiatives and innovations.
“There will be four plenary, 16 sectoral sessions and four round-table conferences. The highlight will be on local entrepreneurship and attracting global players besides engaging discussions on Samrudh Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047. Two budding entrepreneurs from each of 30 districts will be honoured during the valedictory session,” Sharma added.
More than 5,000 national and international industry captains including Anil Agarwal, Sajjan Jindal, Naveen Jindal, Karan Adani, Kumar Mangalam Birla and TV Narendran, envoys from the participating countries, investors, startup entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders are slated to attend the mega business event.