India will consider Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) as partners in promoting Odisha and leveraging its vast potential to drive growth and generate employment, said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, speaking at the business session of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.

The joint business session of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Odisha government was organised on the sidelines of the event to showcase the investment potential of the state.

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The Union Minister and the state government officials pitched for collaborative efforts to convert the vast natural resources of Odisha into sustainable development and wealth creation.

“We want to convey the message of the double-engine government. India will consider Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) as its partners in promoting Odisha and tapping its vast potential to drive growth and generate employment,” Dr Jaishankar said, addressing potential investors and the diaspora.

Odisha’s 480 km-long coastline and its natural deep-water ports, facing Southeast Asian nations, present a promising opportunity for high-volume trade and investment collaboration.

“I see India’s eastern seabed as the connector between Southeast Asia and India,” added Jaishankar, stressing the business expansion opportunities in sectors like trade and tourism in Odisha.

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government has received Rs 2.2 lakh crore in investment proposals since its formation in June 2024 and has been able to get a commitment of Rs 40,000 crore for infrastructure development from the Union government, while appealing to the visiting diaspora to participate in the state’s growth journey.

Majhi said that on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the state’s formation in 2036, Odisha aspires to become a $1 trillion economy as part of its vision for a Samruddha Odisha.

For Viksit Bharat, he said, “Our vision is to make Odisha a key driver of India’s economic growth,” emphasising the state’s focus on sustainable development and global partnerships. “As India has become the number one destination in terms of FDI (foreign direct investment), I aim to make Odisha the number one state in terms of attracting FDI,” he added.