Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati on Wednesday emphasised the need to take entrepreneurship deeper into the state’s villages and tribal regions, creating opportunities for youth, women, artisans and first-generation entrepreneurs.
The governor was addressing the 41st Foundation Day Celebration and Annual State Level Convention 2026 of the Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises, held in Bhubaneswar. He was joined at the event by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari and Minister of State for Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education Sampad Chandra Swain.
Kambhampati said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) could connect Odisha’s traditional strengths with modern opportunities, driving local enterprise, innovation, employment and inclusive growth as the state moves towards the vision of a Viksit Odisha.
Speaking at the same event, Swain said Odisha was advancing rapidly in the industrial sector under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. He spoke on the theme “Leveraging Odisha’s Emerging Ecosystem for Manufacturing Innovation and Start-ups – Vision 2036.”
In a detailed post on X, Swain said Odisha had attracted large-scale investment across sectors including renewable energy, semiconductors, electronics, aerospace and defence, chemicals and petrochemicals, textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive components, shipbuilding, logistics and the digital economy.
He further said the state had emerged as a progressive investment destination and had secured a place among the country’s top five states in NITI Aayog’s Investment Friendliness Index 2026.
Over the past two years, the state had inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for 151 industrial projects worth nearly Rs 3,12,000 crore, Swain said, adding that this was expected to create close to 2,40,000 employment opportunities. The minister noted the Industrial Policy Resolution, the Odisha MSME Development Policy, the Food Processing Policy and Start-up Odisha were accelerating growth in the MSME sector and encouraging innovation and enterprise across the state.
Swain further said that “Odisha Food Pro 2026” had brought investment proposals worth Rs 66,392 crore to the state, which was expected to generate more than 54,000 jobs and strengthen local value chains. He said the state’s goal was not limited to attracting large industrial projects but extended to building an inclusive, locally enterprise-friendly ecosystem.
