Claiming success of the second edition of Make in Odisha Conclave, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Tuesday it had exceeded expectations and attracted an overall investment intent of Rs 4,19,574 crore across 15 diversified sectors which shall create  5,91,000 additional jobs which is double that of the first Conclave held here two years ago.

The top five investment intents were – Haldia Petrochemicals Rs 70,000 crore, JSPL – Rs 60950 crore, MCL – 58997 crore , a company from Taiwan – Rs 43,000 crore, SAIL’s RSP investment of Rs 41,000 crore besides almost Rs 2000 crore in health sector besides investment intents in tourism, apparel, food processing sectors.

Addressing the Conclave, the CM described it as a “defining moment in the history of industrialization of Odisha”.

“I am confident that the policy ecosystem and the investment opportunities showcased in the Conclave, and the deliberations held at the various sessions would help the State emerge as the most preferred investment destinations in the country”, he said.

“Odisha has surely become the manufacturing hub of the east.. We are enthused with the participation of industry captains, young entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, MSMEs, students and experts from across various sectors,” he said, adding: “The ‘I am Odisha’ theme of this year’s Conclave has been a grand success.”

“We had an ambitious plan to skill 11 lakh youth over a period of 5 years starting 2014-15. We have already trained nine lakh twenty-five thousand youth so far,” said Patnaik, adding that the state government would form dedicated teams, to follow up with the industry captains to plan and build a long-term partnership.

The CM concluded his speech by stating: “I look forward to seeing you all in the Make in Odisha Conclave, 2020.”

The conclave saw a good response with 5,074 industry captains and delegates from India and abroad participating in the event. “(As many as) 31,806 people have already visited the largest-ever industrial expo set up by the State. Japan is the Partner Country for the Conclave,” said Sanjeev Chopra, Principal Secretary, Industries.

“It has furthered the vision of the state to broad base the industrial growth with a slew of investment proposals in sectors such as Chemicals and Fertilizers, Petrochemicals, Food Processing, Healthcare, Tourism, Renewable Energy and Electronics which will create new employment opportunities for the skilled youth of the state,” he noted.

Chopra claimed that the response had been overwhelming. “The focus of the Conclave was not just to propel the industrial development further but also to provide a platform for the stakeholders to engage with the State Government to deliberate on the next phase of overall socio-economic growth of the State. We are extremely happy to have received some of the most prominent thought leaders for the event,” said Chopra.

The top three stories received under the campaign, “I am Odisha”, were given ‘Pride of Odisha’ awards by the CM at the valedictory session on Tuesday.