Chief Minister inaugurates 20th CII Enterprise Odisha

Bhubaneswar, Nov 28: Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha inaugurated the 20th edition of CII Enterprise Odisha, the four-day mega industrial exhibition organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry in association with the Government of Odisha, on the IDCO Exhibition Ground here on Friday.

Hon’ble Chief Minister appreciated CII for organizing Enterprise Odisha since last 20 years to showcase the inherent strength and potential of the state. He stated that over the years Odisha has become one of the most favourable investment destination in the country. The state government has come up with the New Industrial Policy which will further boost the overall growth and development in the state.

More than 100 companies have put up stalls over an area of approximately 10000 square metres in the current edition of Enterprise Odisha which is expected to draw more than 50,000 visitors over the next four days. Enterprise Odisha 2015 have a special focus on MSMEs. It would also have concurrent sessions on Agri & Food Processing. To encourage innovation, a first of its kind competition on innovative ideas model display by startups of the State is being organized coinciding with Enterprise Odisha 2015.

RAdm A K Verma, Chairman, CII Eastern Region, thanked the Odisha Government for the support and cooperation it has extended in organizing Enterprise Odisha. He particularly congratulated Mr Naveen Patnaik on his dynamic leadership and the investor-friendly government policies his government has adopted to attract investments.

“It is our common goal to transform Odisha into a vibrant industrialised state, to enhance the share of industries in State Gross Domestic Product and to promote orderly and environmentally sustainable industrial growth,” said RAdm A K Verma.

He said that CII is working with Government of Odisha and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore through a tripartite agreement to create a roadmap for promoting Ease of Doing Business in Odisha. The Confederation has also signed MoU with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to develop vision, goals and strategies to develop Bhubaneswar as a Smart City. CII through its Centres of Excellence will continue to play a role in strengthening competitiveness of industry in Odisha to align with global imperatives and ensuring inclusive and sustainable growth of the state. Forums would be created on manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, agriculture for the overall development of the state.

Mr T V Narendran, Deputy Chairman, CII Eastern Region stated that CII has always promoted the principle of sustainable and inclusive growth. Over the years CII has been working towards promotion and development of MSMEs and has launched the CII Finance Facilitation Centre during the inauguration of the last edition of Enterprise Odisha. The CII Finance Facilitation Centre is working in Odisha to connect our MSME members with the available financial schemes offered by banks and financial institutions.

Mr D S Ravindra Raju, Chairman, CII Odisha State Council explained how Enterprise Odisha has grown into a B2B and B2C forum created to showcase and promote Odisha’s enormous potential to the rest of the country and beyond. He said that Enterprise Odisha is a tribute to the State’s epic journey towards growth and development.

Mr Raju detailed the objectives of Enterprise Odisha and how dedicatedly it is promoting synergistic alliances between all stakeholders. “With all major corporate houses and government institutions lending support and taking part, Enterprise Odisha has evolved into one of the biggest industrial shows in the state,” he said in his welcome address.

Mr Debi Prasad Mishra, Hon’ble Minister of Industries & School and Mass Education, Government of Odisha said that the state government has a particular focus on increased industrialization in Odisha and Enterprise Odisha would go a long way in achieving that objective.

Mr G C Pati, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha avowed that Odisha has has immense potential in the industrial space and the government is working to realize the same.

Mr Sanjeev Chopra, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries, Government of Odisha affirmed that CII has been chosen as the industry partner of the state government for industrialization in the state. Substantial focus is also being laid on ease of doing business.

Mr Sanjay Pattnaik, Vice Chairman, CII Odisha State Council and Dr Saugat Mukherjee, Regional Director, CII Eastern Region were also present at the inauguration ceremony.

The inauguration ceremony also saw the unveiling of CII Report on Affirmative action in Eastern Region – Endeavour and the Invest Odisha Logo. After the successful launch of Industrial Policy Resolution 2015 and a commendable performance of the State in the national Ease of Doing business rankings, the Government of Odisha launched the ‘Invest Odisha’ logo.

Hon’ble Chief Minister also gave away the CII Environment Safety and Health (ESH) Award 2015 during the occasion.