Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: The Odisha Without Border ( Aseem Odisha) conclave that brought leading Odia thinkers, entrepreneurs and leaders on a common platform here today advocated policies to step up skill development and employability among the youths.

It also discussed about projecting Odisha as a vibrant brand in the world.

Addressing the valedictory function, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: 'A time has come when non-resident Odias should come forward and contribute towards nation building. We have developed infrastructure in education, health and communication and expect them to contribute, so that a holistic development plan can be made for a better society.'

The decision to bring all Odia associations under one umbrella was taken on April 1 last year. Subsequently, on August 9 last year, a small conference of 45 Odia associations was held. Following the preliminary meet in Bangalore, the decision was taken to organise a mega meet in Bhubaneswar.

Forty delegates from the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Singapore and Dubai, along with experts from the state, attended the conclave, making the total attendance 440 at the event. The majority of the delegates were professionals from various fields such as medicine, engineering, academics, economics, IT, accounting and entrepreneurship.

Nihar Ranjan Samantara, a former aerospace engineer and an entrepreneur from Bangalore, who is the chief mentor of the conclave, told The Telegraph:'The morning session was dedicated to ways to uplift the economic status of the Odia youths. The participants came up with many propositions such as skill development, preparing the youth for jobs such as security services and English training for the youngsters, so that they are prepared for the job market in and outside India.'

The lack of communication skills in engineering graduates has also been discussed, and the conclave members have decided that a project would be taken up to impart skills to the state youths, Samantara said.

Experts from various fields with experience in brand promotion discussed about figuring out a suitable model to brand Odisha.

'The IT development in Bangalore has happened in such a great scale that foreign nationals in Europe and Asia are aware of its name though they might be ignorant about India. Despite spending more than Rs 200 crore annually, multi-national companies are known in 30 to 40 countries, whereas Mahatma Gandhi is known in 182 nations across the globe. We want to build a positive image of Odisha,' Bijoor said.