The fresh investments in Odisha will create 2,700 jobs. (Representational)
The Odisha government today approved investment of Rs 1,188 crore in three sectors -- paper, cement and food processing. The investment will create at least 2,700 jobs in Odisha, people familiar with the matter said. The projects were approved by Odisha's single-window clearance authority headed by Chief Secretary AP Padhi.
Today's approval of Rs 1,188 crore investment is in addition to Rs 1.10 lakh crore already sanctioned by the authority, the people said. Fresh investment proposals came from Emami Paper Mills Limited (Rs 650 crore), Ambuja Cement Limited (Rs 430 crore), and Surya Foods and Agro Limited (Rs 108 crore).
With approval from the government, Emami Paper Mills will expand its multi-layer coated board manufacturing plant at Balgopalpur Industrial Estate in Balasore district.
The company had started its paper manufacturing unit at Balgopalpur in 1982 and continued to expand its operations in Odisha; it had also set up a 10.50 megawatt co-generation power plant in 2015. Emami Paper Mills is likely to create 1,750 direct and indirect jobs, said an official of the industries department.
A proposal of Ambuja Cements to set up a 1.5 million tonnes per annum cement-grinding unit at Industrial Growth Centre, Jharsuguda, has also been approved by the Odisha government.
The proposed facility will come up on 125 acres and add to the company's existing portfolio of five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement-grinding units across India. The proposed project in Odisha is likely to create 300 direct and indirect jobs, the official said.
Surya Foods and Agro Limited will set up a biscuit manufacturing unit of 60,000 tonnes per annum at Khurda Food Park. The proposed project is likely to create 667 jobs.
In the last three years, the single-window clearance authority of the Odisha government has approved 102 projects with investment proposals worth Rs 1,67,284.63 crore, carrying employment potential of 1,12,532 jobs, Industries Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said.