Sambalpur, Jan. 13: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today stressed on an urgent need for more entrepreneurs and private investment in the state, while addressing the inaugural event of the first global alumni meet of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) at Burla.

“We need core development strategy with faster entrepreneurship and more private investment. The state received 250 million dollars as foreign direct investment till 2010. Private investment has risen to 30 per cent in recent years. Several studies have ranked Odisha as a favourable state for investment. We need massive investment for the development of human resource and industrial sector,” Naveen said.

The chief minister said to become the frontrunner among states in the country and a diversified, prosperous economy, Odisha needed the support of private players. Congratulating the university and alumni for “achieving excellence in the field of technology”, Naveen said Odisha had emerged as a knowledge hub with the setting up of reputed institutes such as IIT, IIIT, Niser and National Law Institute.

“Every year, three lakh students pursue higher education in Odisha. The government has made consistent efforts to improve higher education. In an era of globalisation, there is a need for specialised persons and professional manpower,” he said.