Orissa to promote SEZ to attract Industries and FDI : Thakur

Bhubaneswar, Mar 21 (UNI) The Orissa government has taken the initiative to promote Special Economic Zones(SEZ) for attracting export-oriented industries and foreign investment, Governor Rameswar Thakur told the state Assembly.

Addressing the opening session of the Assembly, Mr Thakur said the state government was in the process of formulating a robust Public-Private Partnership(PPP) policy to promote private investment in infrastructure development.

Orissa, he said, had emerged as a major industrial destination with the state government already signing as many as 45 Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with steel companies with a total investment of Rs.1,95,540 crore to produce 74.65 million ton steel per annum.

He said M/s Mittal Steel Company and M/s POSCO, the world's third largest steel producers, had signed MoUs for setting up of mega steel plants with an investment of Rs 40,000 crore and Rs 51,000 crore respectively.

Of the 45 MoUs, 23 steel plants had already started production with an investment of Rs 15,770 crore and provided employment opportunities to nearly 18,848 people in the state.

The state, Mr Thakur said, had executed MoUs with 13 private IPPS to set up thermal power projects in the country with a total generation capacity of 14,990 MW. This apart, a joint venture company had been set up with equal share investment by the Orissa Hydel Power Corporation and Orissa Mining Corporation(OMC) to generate 2000 MW capacity thermal power plant in the state.

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