DRIVERS OF GROWTH

Instead of concentrating solely on the modernization of the sixty-mile coastal belt (Cuttack-Puri- Bhubaneswar region), the Government of Odisha should prioritize harnessing the entrepreneurial potential of its villages

- Sanjib Kumar Karmee

Entrepreneurship is a vital driver of economic and social growth.

Innovation-driven entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in generating employment across both urban and rural regions. Entrepreneurial ventures, services, and products simplify everyday life and serve as powerful instruments for livelihood generation.

Rural Odisha stands at a decisive moment in its development journey.

Long viewed primarily through the lens of agriculture, migration, and welfare dependence, Odisha’s villages are now quietly nurturing a new force of change: entrepreneurship. From women led self-help groups processing forest produce to young graduates launching agriculture based startups, rural entrepreneurship is reshaping aspirations across the state. The challenge before policymakers, financial institutions, and society at large is to recognise this transformation and enable it.

Another promising area is agri-entrepreneurship. Young rural entrepreneurs are experimenting with organic farming, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, fishery-based enterprises, pearl farming, and custom hiring centres for farm machinery. Startups offering soil testing, mobile-based advisory services and farm-to-market linkages are slowly entering rural Odisha. Such innovations are attracting educated youth back to agriculture, countering the narrative that farming is an unviable occupation.