Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said that Odisha has great potential to emerge as a global hub for steel, aluminium and other metal industries.
Inaugurating the production in two iron ore blocks at Jilling-Langlota and Guali in Keonjhar district along with the Union Minister of Coal, Parliamentary Affairs and Mines Pralhad Joshi in a virtual function, he hoped that with the quick operationalisation of the allotted mines by Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), the iron ore market will stabilise and the supply situation for the industry will improve.
“Odisha has been a pioneer in many mining-related activities. With a view to ensuring transparency and enforcement, we had started the i3MS system to monitor the ore movement. We have also been able to successfully auction a large number of mines over the last few years,” the Chief Minister pointed out.
Stating that the mining and related metal industries sectors have grown tremendously over the last two decades in Odisha, he said that the state government has created an investor-friendly ecosystem to promote further investment in this sector and help in the growth of the Indian economy.
The Chief Minister further said that the state government is willing to work together with the Centre to realise this potential of the state. “We have supported the initiatives towards the mineral sector reforms and hope this will benefit the state and the country in the long run,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister said that these two mines will generate nearly Rs 5000 crore of annual revenue for Odisha and create vast employment opportunities for the locals. “These two iron ore mines were allocated in record time and made operational within 15 days of allocation. This was possible due to the great synergy between Centre and Odisha,” he noted.
Among others, BJP Rajya Sabha member Ashwini Vaishnaw, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra, Development Commissioner PK Jena, Principal Secretary, Finance Ashok Meena and 5T secretary VK Pandian were present.
