Bhubaneswar, June 30: The state government today cleared three industrial projects worth Rs 1,188 crore.

The state-level Single Window Clearance Authority, headed by the chief secretary today cleared the proposals for the expansion of a paper mill in Balasore, a cement grinding unit in Jharsuguda and a biscuit manufacturing unit to be set up at Khurda Food Park.

Emami Paper Mills, an established newsprint maker that had started its paper-manufacturing unit at Balagopalpur industrial estate in Balasore in 1982, will expand its multi-layer coated board manufacturing plant with an investment of Rs 650 crore. The paper mill has already expanded its operations by setting up newsprint manufacturing unit, paperboard project based on waster paper and a 10.5MW power plant.

The 1.5 million-tonne cement-grinding unit of Ambuja Cements will come up over 125 acres at the Industrial Growth Centre in Jharsuguda at an estimated cost of Rs 430 crore. Ambuja Cements has five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement grinding units across the country.

Surya Foods and Agro Ltd, a multi-product food processing company with the brand name of "Priya Gold" with manufacturing facilities in Greater Noida, Lucknow and Surat, will set up a 60,000-tonne-per-annum biscuit manufacturing unit at Khurda Food Park.

These investment proposals were cleared today in addition to the investment proposals worth Rs 1.10 lakh crore already approved by the government following the Make in Odisha Conclave in Bhubane-swar last December and the investors' meet at Mumbai and Bangalore held last year.

Industries secretary Sanjeev Chopra said: "The state's Business Reform Programme and the development of infrastructure have received positive feedback from investors across the country."

Officials of the industries department claimed that Odisha had been recognised as a leader in the implementation of business reforms with 92.7 per cent score in last year's Ease of Doing Business report released by the Centre.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has set a vision to attract investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the focus sectors identified by the state by 2015, said official sources.

During the past three years, the Single Window Clearance Authority in the state has approved 102 projects with investments worth more than Rs 1.67 lakh crore, said an official.

"The state is now focusing on the rapid on-ground implementation of the approved projects. Ground breaking and inauguration of more than 10 industrial projects will take place in the next quarter," said a senior official of the industries department.