‘Confident Odisha will soon become No. I state in India in terms of investments’

In the first quarter of 2025-26 (Q1FY26), Odisha topped the list of states with new project announcements across sectors. On the sidelines of the recent Maritime Week 2025 held in Mumbai, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to Subrata Panda in an interview about his government's efforts to attract large-scale investments and accelerate economic growth, and the key achievements of his 16-month-old administration. Edited excerpts:

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Recently, Vedanta announced an investment of around ₹ 1 trillion in Odisha, which has lately been drawing significant investment interests. What are the reasons driving these investments into the state?

Odisha offers huge opportunities for setting up industries across sectors. With a 575-km-long coastline, good connectivity through roads, waterways, and air routes, abundant mineral resources, and land and water availability, the state is infrastructure-ready to attract investments. In the past, there seemed to be a lack of sincerity in driving industrial growth. However, today, with a double-engine government and strong support from the Centre, we are able to work freely. During the Maritime Week 2025, the Centre gave Odishaa free hand to develop projects in the state. We signed agreements worth around ₹50,000 crore for the development of a shipbuilding cluster at the mouth of the Mahanadi river in Kendrapara district, and the unique Bahuda Satellite Port project in Ganjam. The Prime Minister approved and announced these projects.