The Odisha government has decided to set up district-level industry and investment promotion agencies to create more economic opportunities in the state, officials said on Tuesday. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary SC Mohapatra, on Monday. “These agencies would be dedicated towards facilitation and handholding of the micro, small and medium enterprises. They would operate as a single-point contact for all entrepreneurs and investors,” Mohapatra said.
The agencies would facilitate MSME entrepreneurs right from the time of project formulation and capacity building to financing, starting of production, and market linkages, he said. It would also facilitate them for availing different assistance from the government as per prevailing provisions, he said. The chief secretary also directed the district collectors to take a proactive role in the promotion of micro, small and medium enterprises. “MSMEs are movers of the economy, and their promotion in the districts will result in equitable growth,” he said, adding that the collectors were asked to provide decent office space in the collectorates for setting up the units.
The agencies would be managed by three professionals under the direct supervision of the respective collectors, said Industries Secretary Hemant Sharma. The agencies would be set up in different districts in a phased manner with feedback and learning about the functioning and outcome, he said. For the pilot project, Ganjam, Sundargarh and Jagatsinghpur were selected, Sharma said. The pilot project would be started by August, he said. In the next phase, the agencies would be set up in Angul, Balasore, Jajapur, Jharsuguda, Keonjhar, Rayagada, Sambalpur. The target is to cover all districts by March next year, Sharma said.
