Odisha Poised To Be The Hub Of Maritime Trade, Says Dharmendra Pradhan

Recalling Odisha's rich maritime history, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has said that the state's coastline is going to be the hub of sea trade.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push for Aatmanirbhar Bharat and $5 trillion economy, Pradhan said with natural harbours, rich natural resources, long coastline and skilled manpower, Odisha is poised to be a part of the journey of self-reliance, and contribute to the building of the economy.

Talking about the ‘investment opportunities in Odisha’ at the Maritime India Summit 2021, he assured all potential investors that the central and state governments are working in tandem to make the state an attractive investment destination.

Pradhan said that thousands of years ago navigators of Orissa sailed to different parts of the globe to bring fortune and glory to the state.

Reiterating the Prime Minister’s vision for ‘Purvodaya’, he said it is important to drive eastern India’s growth to keep pace with the growth in other regions of the country.

He further said that at one point time in history, we were one of the most prosperous civilisations of the world.

The minister said that in the twenty-first century, the global network of trade and commerce will be maritime and Odisha’s coast will be the gateway. Paradip is going to be the gateway of growth of the eastern part of the country.

Kalinganagar is being developed as a steel hub, and is envisaged to become a self-contained ecosystem. It will enable potential investors to set up value-added downstream facilities.

Our initiatives in the petroleum and steel sectors will provide impetus to the maritime economy in Odisha.

He said that anchor industries and companies are needed for development of new ports in Odisha and optimal utilisation of riverine and sea port areas.

Pradhan said that integration of crucial infrastructure road, rail and port will lead to the industrial development of Odisha. The potential for developing port-led blue economy will be unlocked with the multi-modal rail, road and air linkages with sea and riverine port for transport of minerals and goods at much lower logistics cost.

Pradhan said that Odisha serves as a link between eastern and western India through the railway network of the South Eastern Railways and the East Coast Railways.

There is further potential for integrating railway freight corridors with key ports in Odisha and setting up of maintenance and engineering projects in the state.

Regarding petroleum sector investments, Pradhan said oil and gas central public sector enterprises have spearheaded a number of infrastructure investments in the Odisha. This also includes oil refining, gas pipeline and marketing infrastructure, and city gas distribution networks.

He also echoed the Prime Minister’s thoughts on the government’s role to not be wealth creators themselves but to provide the policy framework for wealth creators to operate in.