Bhubaneswar: In a major initiative to boost growth, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday launched the ‘Go East’ platform to accelerate industrialisation and ensure balanced development across eastern India.
The Chief Minister also announced significant amendments to Odisha’s Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2022 to promote balanced regional development.
Speaking at the CII Eastern Regional Council Meeting in Bhubaneswar, Majhi said Odisha is all set to become the leading industrial destination in eastern India within the next five years and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to attracting and swiftly implementing investments.
The newly launched ‘Go East’ initiative, which stands for Government of Odisha – Eastern Investment Accelerator and Special Task Force, is designed to attract investments from eastern and northeastern states by offering a dedicated facilitation mechanism, policy support and faster project implementation.
The initiative would enable industries to retain their existing manufacturing base and markets in their home states while expanding operations in Odisha with government support, said Majhi.
The state government will form a Special Task Force to fast-track investment proposals as part of the initiative. A dedicated Go East Cell will also be established within the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL), while a new Go Swift digital module will provide real-time monitoring and tracking of investment approvals.
The initiative would particularly focus on Odisha’s border districts, where new industrial growth centres are expected to emerge, driving inclusive industrialisation and creating employment opportunities in underserved regions, the Chief Minister said.
Listing key amendments to the IPR-2022, Majhi said 15 economically backward districts, including Balangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Kandhamala, Boudh and Gajapati, will now receive ‘Thrust Sector’ status for the promotion of non-mineral-based industries.
The policy changes are expected to encourage investments beyond Odisha’s traditional mining sector and promote balanced regional development by incentivising manufacturing in backward districts.
Highlighting governance reforms, the Chief Minister said industrial approval timelines have been reduced from nearly 400 days to less than 160 days through the state’s Deregulation 1.0 and 2.0 initiatives. The government now aims to bring the approval period below 100 days.
The CM also highlighted the state’s investment performance, and said that since June 2024, Odisha has approved 477 industrial projects worth nearly Rs 9.5 lakh crore, with the potential to generate jobs for around six lakh people.
Of these, 12 projects involving investments exceeding Rs 3.11 lakh crore have already entered the implementation stage and are nearing inauguration, demonstrating the state’s ability not only to attract investments but also to execute them in record time.
Odisha is steadily diversifying beyond its mineral-based economy by promoting sectors such as steel, aluminium, chemicals, petrochemicals, semiconductors and electronics, he said, adding that the state’s ‘Samruddha Odisha 2036’ vision is aligned with the national goal of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
Speaking at the event, Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain highlighting Odisha’s skilled youth workforce and the government’s efforts to align skill development programmes with industry requirements.
Senior government officials, industry leaders and representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) attended the event.
