From people to govt depts, all aligned for industrial growth: Sharma

Time of India

24-07-2025

Additional chief secretary of the industries department, Hemant Sharma, delves into the state's ambitious plans to transform its industrial landscape in a conversation with Ashok Pradhan.
Excerpts:
How does the state plan to leverage Odisha Tex-2025 to attract global textile players and position Odisha as the textile capital of India by 2036?
The Odisha Tex-2025 summit, a mega textile summit on Friday, is a pioneering event for eastern India, a region not traditionally known for its textile industry, except for some areas in West Bengal. Our aim is to position Odisha as the prime location for textile investment in eastern India.
Other regions like Coimbatore, Tirupur, Chennai, Bengaluru, Noida, and Surat have become saturated, and Odisha offers a fresh opportunity for expansion.
We are inviting over a hundred new entrants who have not previously considered Odisha, which will significantly boost our visibility and appeal as a textile hub.
While attracting investors, how are you integrating local artisans and weavers, especially those working in places like Surat?
Odisha's skilled workforce is a major attraction for the textile industry.
Many workers in places like Tirupur and Surat are originally from Odisha. By bringing the industry closer home, we provide opportunities for these workers to return. We are also focusing on skill development for the next generation of artisans, integrating traditional skills with modern techniques. We have invited trainers to sign MoUs with new companies to train local workers, ensuring a smooth transition to modern industrial practices.
What are the key sectors and strategies driving Odisha's industrial vision ?
Our strategy is built on three pillars: infrastructure, timely incentives, and dedicated support. We are developing smaller industrial parks, around 100 acres, to provide the necessary infrastructure. We are also streamlining the process of delivering incentives, making it more transparent and efficient. Each high-impact industry is assigned a nodal officer to assist with everything from site selection to utility support, ensuring a seamless experience.
Despite Odisha's resources, past industrial promises did not always materialise. What makes you optimistic about the current initiatives?
Two key factors give us confidence. First, there is complete alignment across govt departments, all working towards the common goal of industrial growth. Even people are more aware and want industry. In earlier phases, there were protests. Second, we shifted our strategy to pre-position land for industries, reducing the time from interest to implementation.
This proactive approach, along with public demand for industrial development, is creating a conducive environment for success.
How is Odisha fostering local entrepreneurship, particularly with initiatives like recognising 60 young entrepreneurs under 40?
Historically, 80% of Odisha's industries were set up by non-local entrepreneurs. We aim to change this by making entrepreneurship aspirational. Our 60 under 40 initiative highlights local role models, encouraging others to follow suit.
We are also establishing MSME parks in each district to support small and medium enterprises, ensuring that local entrepreneurs have the resources and incentives to succeed.
Ease of doing business is a recurring theme. What new reforms or digital initiatives has the department introduced?
We launched Go Swift 2.0, an enhanced single-window system. Our goal is to integrate all departmental approvals into this digital platform, covering pre-construction, construction, and post-construction phases.
This will eliminate the need for physical applications, streamlining the process and improving the overall experience for industries.
How will you ensure regional distribution of industry after creation of greater capital region cluster encompassing Puri and Paradip with Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and a similar cluster in Sambalpur-Bargarh-Jharsuguda.
Regional growth will be driven by leveraging local advantages.
For instance, the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri-Paradip region will focus on knowledge-based industries, while areas like Jharsuguda and Angul will focus on metallurgical industries.
To sum up, what are your top priorities for Odisha's industrial development?
Our top priority is to attract job-intensive industries that can be quickly commissioned, such as food processing and textiles. Secondly, we are focused on securing land in strategic locations to reduce grounding time. Lastly, we aim to enhance our digital services to improve the ease of doing business in Odisha.