Eastern India is the growth engine in the development of the country and Odisha plays a key role in this. The contributions of Eastern India were remarkable when India played a major role in global growth, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday while speaking at the ‘Utkarsh Odisha’ – Make in Odisha Conclave, the state’s biennial investors’ meet to showcase Odisha as an emerging investment destination,

Highlighting the coastal state’s glorious past in maritime trade, he pointed out that Odisha used to be the South East Asia’s a prominent trading centre.

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Stating that Odisha’s ancient ports were trading hubs, he said the state is now on the path of reviving the glorious past with Singapore and ASEAN countries evincing interest in strengthening business ties with Odisha

Recalling the recent visit of the President of Indonesia to India, the prime minister said that the foreign dignitary’s words that there were probably traces of Odisha in his DNA.

He emphasised that numerous opportunities were opening up in this region, more than ever before since independence. He told the investors present on the occasion that it is the right time to invest in Odisha’s development journey and assured that their investment would lead to new heights of success.

Noting that Odisha had immense potential in the green energy sector, he said the country had launched national-level Green Hydrogen and Solar Power Missions. He lauded the significant policy decisions being made to promote renewable energy industries in Odisha, and several steps were being taken for hydrogen energy production.

The prime minister noted that alongside green energy, initiatives were being taken to expand the petroleum and petrochemical sector in Odisha. He highlighted that dedicated industrial parks and investment regions were being developed in Paradip and Gopalpur, indicating significant investment potential in this sector. He praised the Odisha government for making swift decisions and developing a new ecosystem, considering the potential of different regions in the state.

On his fifth visit to Odisha in the seven months of BJP rule in the state, PM Modi emphasised that opportunities were being enhanced in Odisha and thousands of crores worth of projects related to railway and highway networks are underway in the state.

He added that to reduce logistics costs for industries in Odisha, the government was connecting ports with industrial clusters and mentioned that both the expansion of existing ports and the construction of new ports are taking place. He stressed that Odisha was set to become one of the top states in the country in terms of the blue economy.

Emphasising that a strong research ecosystem and a skilled young workforce will directly benefit the industry, Modi urged industry partners and the the state government to work together to build a modern ecosystem aligned with Odisha’s aspirations, providing new opportunities for the youth. Such joint initiative, he said, will create more job opportunities within Odisha, leading to prosperity, strength, and progress for the state.

“Odisha plays a significant role in building a developed India,” said the Prime Minister highlighting that the people of Odisha have resolved to build a prosperous state and the Union government was providing all possible support to achieve this goal.

He expressed his affection for Odisha, noting that he had visited the state nearly 30 times as prime minister and has been to most of its districts.

To understand India, Odisha is a remarkable destination. It has thousands of years of history and heritage, dense forest, mountains, seacoast it has all the resources. We have to explore the tourism potential in the Utkarsh Odisha conclave. It has immense potential in ecotourism and adventure tourism with 33% of the State endowed with dense forest, he said.

I have visited Odisha 30 times, more than the other prime ministers visited the state altogether. I have visited the majority of districts in Odisha. This is the love and warmth of Odisha people, he concluded expressing affection towards the coastal State.