Odisha sets target of becoming developed state by 2036: Deputy CM Deo

Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) Odisha is open to any kind of investment which adds to its growing economy as it has set a target of becoming a developed state by 2036 and achieving a GDP of USD 1.5-trillion by 2047, Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th CII East India Summit 2025 here, Deo also exhorted the industry to invest in Odisha and create more jobs in the state.

"The Prime Minister has set a target of (making India a developed nation) 2047 whereas Odisha has set a target of 2036. That is when Odisha is going to complete its 100 years. So, we are trying to move ahead and put whatever is expected by the Central government from the state," said Deo, who holds the portfolio of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Empowerment and the Ministry of Energy.

Sounding confident of achieving the state's own targets, he said that Odisha is going to be a major contributor in the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission of the Indian Government.

"We would like to invite people into tourism, agri-food processing and steel. We already have a lot of investment in steel but then we would look at value addition on steel products. Apart from that, in the energy sector, we are a coal-bearing state where a lot of thermal power is generated. We are looking for floating solar, pump storage and battery storage projects, any kind of investment where the GDP can be increased," he said.

At the same time, the state also wants to develop agro-industries and cut the use of fertilisers, he said.

He said the state government has come out with an industrial policy which provides a lot of insight into the kind of hand-holding it can do for the people.

"We can develop tourism. We want to do agri-tourism because nobody looks at agriculture from the tourism point of view, where a farmer can have people come and stay on his farm. So that kind of tourism potential we have," Deo stated.

Stating that Odisha has a lot of beautiful monuments and sites, he said, "We are not trying to only target foreign tourists but Indian tourists.

"But the target which has been set by the Government of India, we are going to be one of the major contributors in that," Deo emphasized.

As an individual, he said, he is of the opinion that people (investors/ industry) should be given a level-playing field to attract long-term investment rather than giving them incentives as they will be there only till some other state doesn't offer them a better incentive.

"If you want only short-term incentives to be given, then investment will not last long. We want employment generation schemes to be put in, where the local population of Odisha does not have to migrate out of the state and they get jobs at their doorstep," he said.

"Now, all the policies are for the investors who have to look at that policy and then come. But we can't come up with a policy to suit one individual," he added.

Landlocked states will never be able to steal a march over states that have a forced climate, he said, and added, "Look East. We have come to the West to ask the West to also look East. If the sun rises there, the sun will set here." PTI IAS MR MR