Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to lead delegation to Japan

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], April 2 : In a continuing effort to be the country's leading investment destination, a high-level delegation led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will be visiting Japan from April 4 to 11 to promote investment opportunities in Odisha, said the Chief Minister's Office.

The delegation includes the Minister of Industries, MSME, and Energy, Pratap Keshari Deb, Chief Secretary PK Jena, Principal Secretary, Industries Department, Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary, E&IT Department, Manoj Mishra, and Managing Director, IPICOL, Bhupendar Poonia.

From the Chief minister's Office, V K Pandian, Secretary to CM (5T) and Vineel Krishna, Special secretary to CM are accompanying the Chief Minister during the Japan tour.

A business delegation from Odisha, consisting of select industries in the Steel, Aluminium, Textiles, Food and Sea-Food processing, and Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia sectors, will also accompany the delegation to explore opportunities for collaboration with Japanese business houses.

During their visit, the high-level delegation will conduct one-to-one meetings with potential investors, host the Odisha Business Meet Tokyo 2023, and hold an interactive meeting with the Odia diaspora in Japan.

The delegation will also visit the Kimitsu Steel Works and the R&D Center of Nippon Steel Corporation. Further, the delegation will also explore avenues of collaboration in the areas of skill development and high-tech start-ups.

The state delegation will also hold a roundtable discussion in Kyoto on opportunities for collaboration between Japan and Odisha in the tourism sector, focusing on Buddhist and Eco-Tourism related sites in Odisha. Moreover, in view of the significant strides made by Odisha in development of the sports ecosystem, it is also planned to explore possible collaboration in training and development of sports talent in Odisha.

The visit of the Chief Minister to Japan reinforces the commitment of the state government to promote Odisha as a favourable investment destination and strengthen the emerging economic and cultural ties with Japan. During the Make-in-Odisha conclave 2022, Japan was a country partner and the Ambassador of Japan in India participated in the plenary session and invited the Chief Minister to visit Japan.