Bhubaneswar, Dec. 1: Investment opportunities in tourism and textile were a major attraction for patrons at the Make in Odisha conclave here today.
To attract investors, the state government held out before them various policy initiatives that they can tap under the Odisha Tourism Policy launched ahead of the conclave.
With focus on hotel and accommodation facilities, the creation of land bank of around 3,000 acres for development of infrastructure was a major pull for investors. The allotted land includes around 60 acres in Bhubaneswar, 21.31 in Cuttack and around 1,000 acres for the Shamuka project in Puri.
"There have been queries regarding availability of land for setting up of accommodation facilities in the state. A number of international hotel chains have shown interest in investing in the state. The land bank will come in handy for them," said tourism minister Ashok Panda during a sectoral seminar on tourism at the conclave.
Ashish Jakhanwala, founder and CEO of Samhi Hotels, said: "Policy initiatives is the major motivator behind coming to Odisha." Over 150 investors from across the country attended the meet.
These apart, potential investments in fields of tourism such as eco-tourism, beach, cruise and medical were also discussed.
To encourage investment in tourism projects, subsidy is envisaged. A subsidy of 20 per cent will be provided in investment up to Rs 50 crore, while an additional subsidy of 5 per cent will be given to projects around Chilika lake, KBK districts and Gajapati and to women entrepreneurs.
"We have developed a three-tier single window clearance mechanism to facilitate speedy implementation of projects," added Panda.
The minister added that focus was also on enhancing communication facilities to increase tourist footfall. "Plans are on to have direct international flights from Bhubaneswar to Southeast Asian countries. Negotiations are on with an airline based in Malaysia," he added.
Jose Dominic from CGH Earth said Odisha was still undiscovered. "It has the potential to become the next Goa or Kerala of India. There is still huge space left which needs to be utilised while the local community needs to be involved to boost tourism."
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today unveiled ITC's flagship projects in the state in the presence of Sanjiv Puri, chief operating officer, ITC Ltd. These investments, including a state-of-the-art integrated consumer goods facility and a five-star hotel property, entail an investment of nearly Rs 800crore.
The potential for the growth of textile industry was also acknowledged by investors at the conclave. The Odisha Apparel Policy launched recently to encourage apparel manufacturing and exports called for providing a welcoming environment investment in the field.
"The state government has targeted to create one lakh to 1.5 lakh jobs in next five years. For apparel units where employment is minimum 200 workers, the unit will receive incentives of Rs 1,000 per worker per month on actual employment by the unit, on financial year basis," said handloom minister Snehangini Chhuria.
Various incentives under the policy were discussed, including the sectors of apparel unit and textile parks, were focused upon. Around 200 investors attended the sectoral seminar on apparels and textile held at the conclave today.
