Odisha Ranked No 1 With Lowest Unemployment Rate In Country, Says Governor

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has made an allocation of more than 5% of GSDP towards infrastructure development during 2022-23, said Governor Ganeshi Lal on Tuesday.

In his address to the Odisha Assembly on the first day of the Budget session, the Governor said the government has given thrust on infrastructure development for promotion of tourism sector. It has taken up integrated master planning of 16 priority destinations for the purpose. Besides, 69 tourist destinations have been identified in the interior parts for development to attract the tourists, he added.

In industrial sector, the Governor said the government has set up more than 5 lakh MSMEs with an investment of more than Rs 24,341 crore. “Odisha is now ranked No. 1 with lowest unemployment rate in the country with a score of 0.9% as per the report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy,” he added.

Since the state is prone to natural disasters, particularly cyclone and flood, the government has taken up cyclone resilient saline embankment project in total length of 199 km with an estimated cost of Rs 763 crore in coastal districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapada and Puri, he added.

In the sports front, the Governor said Odisha has emerged as one of the international sports destinations with its high-performance centres and world class sports infrastructure. “The government hosted the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup twice in a row. The last edition of the Men’s Hockey World Cup held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela saw construction of Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000. It is considered as the world’s largest hockey stadium,” he said.