Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for industrial projects worth more than Rs 39,000 crore at Kalinganagar, including a Rs 900-crore greenfield ferro chrome unit by Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys Ltd (IMFA) and a Rs 5,000-crore steel melt shop by Jindal Stainless Ltd.
The announcements followed a closed-door meeting between the chief minister and representatives of 46 companies, which also included millennial and Gen Z members of industrial families. Odisha chief secretary Anu Garg said the interaction was intended to familiarise the next generation of business leaders with the state’s business environment and investment ecosystem.
Additional chief secretary (industries) Hemant Sharma said industrialists and investors had been encouraged to bring younger members of their families to the meeting. The objective, according to the officials cited by Times of India, was to give future corporate leaders early exposure to Odisha’s resources, policies and administrative leadership.
The project announcements add to Kalinganagar’s role as a centre of Odisha’s metals and manufacturing activity. IMFA’s greenfield ferro chrome project is expected to take the company’s total capacity beyond five lakh tonnes per annum, according to a statement attributed to Raisah Ila, daughter of IMFA managing director Subhrakant Panda. She said the project would create opportunities for local youth and contribute to Odisha’s economy.
Jindal Stainless managing director Abhyuday Jindal represented the group when the chief minister unveiled projects worth Rs 14,039 crore, including the commissioning of the company’s Rs 5,000-crore steel melt shop. The facility has a 2.2 million-tonne-per-annum steel melt shop at its centre, according to a post by Jindal cited in the report.
Jindal said the investment was intended to strengthen integrated and resource-efficient manufacturing capabilities and create opportunities in Odisha. The statement linked the facility to the company’s longer-term focus on supplying steel for India’s industrial and infrastructure growth, but did not provide a separate employment figure or implementation schedule.
Jatia Steel managing director Punit Jatia was also accompanied by his son Utkarsh during the groundbreaking ceremony for projects valued at Rs 800 crore. The participation of younger family members formed part of the government’s broader effort to build relationships with the next generation of industrial leadership.
During the event, Majhi felicitated several industrial leaders, including Panda, who was honoured as the ‘Pride of Odisha’. The report did not specify the individual project timelines, land requirements or infrastructure commitments associated with the investments. The next steps will depend on the execution and commissioning schedules of the announced and inaugurated facilities.
