Total Investment Proposals Reach ₹22.5 Lakh Crore; Nearly 9 Lakh Jobs Expected

Bhubaneswar, 13 September (H.S.): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi returned to the State on Sunday after concluding his five-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announcing that investment proposals worth ₹2.43 lakh crore have been secured during the visit, with the potential to generate nearly nine lakh employment opportunities.

Addressing the media at Bhubaneswar airport after his return, Majhi said the State government was utilising its full potential to create a brighter future for Odisha’s youth. He said the government’s primary objective was to ensure that young people from the State find respectable employment opportunities in Odisha after completing their education.

“With this objective, we have expanded our industrialisation drive right from the beginning,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the UAE visit had opened another significant chapter in the State government’s industrialisation efforts over the past two years.

Following the ‘Utkarsh Odisha – Make in Odisha Conclave’ held in Bhubaneswar in January 2025, a dedicated team of the State government has undertaken investment outreach programmes across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gujarat and Singapore, among other destinations, to attract investments to Odisha.

Majhi said these sustained efforts were accelerating economic growth, creating large-scale employment opportunities and marking important milestones towards building a prosperous Odisha.

During the UAE visit from September 8 to 12, the Chief Minister, Industries Minister and senior government officials held extensive discussions with investors and business leaders in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on September 9, 10 and 11.

The delegation participated in a total of 52 business meetings, including six roundtable meetings and 46 one-to-one meetings, and interacted with around 400 industry leaders and representatives.

As part of the investment outreach, eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed and 16 investment intents were received. These proposals are expected to bring investments worth ₹2,43,162 crore to Odisha and create 6,18,725 direct employment opportunities. Including indirect employment, the total number of jobs generated is expected to be around nine lakh.

The Chief Minister said that with the addition of these proposals to more than ₹20 lakh crore worth of investment proposals secured earlier, Odisha’s total investment proposal pipeline has now reached approximately ₹22.5 lakh crore.

During the visit, Majhi also held important discussions with UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the International Investors Council Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri and IHC Managing Director Syed Basar Shuaib.

Following the partnership between IHC and the Adani Group signed on July 2, 2026, MoUs have been signed for 14 new projects in Odisha. Efforts are also underway to establish integrated aluminium projects by the two companies in Rayagada and Sundargarh districts.

The Chief Minister also interacted with successful Odia entrepreneurs and members of the Odia diaspora in the UAE. He said such engagements would further strengthen bilateral business and cultural ties.

Majhi said the State government was working towards its vision of building a prosperous Odisha by 2036 and transforming the State into a USD 500 billion economy within the next decade.

He said creating employment opportunities for educated youth remained a key priority and that skill development programmes were being undertaken to make young people employment-ready for factories and offices expected to be established in the State in the coming years.

The Chief Minister said the government’s next priority was to ensure speedy implementation of the investment proposals and MoUs secured during the outreach programmes and facilitate the commencement of production at the earliest.

“Once these projects become operational, they will create significant employment opportunities for the people of Odisha,” he said.

On his arrival in Bhubaneswar, Majhi was accorded a warm welcome by several ministers, legislators, public representatives and members of the public.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik, Chief Whip of the ruling party Saroj Kumar Pradhan, Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, Niali MLA Chhabi Mallik, Bhatli MLA Irasis Acharya, Cuttack Sadar MLA Prakash Chandra Sethi, Pipili MLA Ashrit Patnaik and Kabisuryanagar MLA Pratap Chandra Nayak, among others, were present.

Former MLA Priyadarshi Mishra, social worker Jagannath Pradhan and a large number of people also welcomed the Chief Minister and expressed their appreciation for the investment initiatives undertaken during his UAE visit.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda