Bhubaneswar: Odisha received 24 investment proposals worth around Rs 2,43,162 crore during chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates for the Odisha Investors’ Meet–UAE 2026, state industries minister Sampad Chandra Swain said on Friday.“The state delegation held nearly 52 meetings with 160 investors, industry leaders and commercial institutions from the UAE and other countries. The proposals, which have the potential to generate more than 8,95,000 jobs, cover aluminium and downstream industries, critical minerals, green energy, logistics, food processing, textiles, chemicals and other emerging sectors,” Swain told a news conference at BJP’s state party office.Swain added that Odisha had approved industrial projects involving nearly Rs 10,00,000 crore since the BJP govt assumed office, with the potential to generate more than 6,30,000 jobs. The approvals covered 10 major sectoral groups across all 30 districts.“Foundation stones had been laid and operations inaugurated for 151 industrial projects worth nearly Rs 3,12,000 crore, with potential employment for more than 2,40,000 people,” he said.Comparing the record with that of the previous BJD govt, Swain said 370 projects involving Rs 3,26,000 crore had been inaugurated or had foundation stones laid between 2014 and 2024. The BJP govt had achieved corresponding figures of 151 projects and Rs 3,12,000 crore in 27 months since June 2024, he said.Swain said projects that had earlier moved out of Odisha were being brought back, citing POSCO as an example. “JSW and POSCO would jointly establish a steel plant in Kendujhar and Dhenkanal,” he added.He said outreach programmes held over the past two years had attracted investment proposals from India and abroad. A Delhi roadshow in April 2025 received proposals worth Rs 98,880 crore, with the potential to create 67,000 jobs. The Hyderabad Investors’ Meet in Dec 2025 attracted Rs 66,781 crore in proposals and potential employment for 56,340 people. Swain also mentioned a Kolkata roadshow, a Gujarat roadshow and the Odisha Food Pro 2026 in Delhi.Swain said the Utkarsha Odisha Conclave received 593 proposals across 20 sectors, involving Rs 16,73,000 crore. Odisha TEX 2025 secured 33 MoUs worth Rs 7,808 crore, while Odisha Pharma Sammilani 2025 attracted 69 projects involving Rs 7,043 crore.Citing recently published CMI and NITI Aayog reports, Swain said Odisha ranked second in attracting investors and was the best-performing state, respectively. He said rapid industrialisation would help realise the goal of a prosperous Odisha by 2036.
