Bhubaneswar, February 20: In a major move to boost industrialization in the State, the BJP Government has approved a total of 14 industrial projects with Forest Direct Investment (FDI) of Rs 3271.11 crore, Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain informed in Assembly today.
In a written statement to the Assembly, the Industries Minister said the Single Window Clearance Authority has approved the 14 FDI projects during the last 19 months.
Once grounded, the 14 projects will create employment for 17,946 individuals. Of the 14 industrial projects, eight projects are under implementation stage while remaining six projects are on approval stage, Swain said.
Among these projects, MAS India Clothing Private Limited and Calderys India Refractories Limited will invest Rs 1211.87 crore and Rs 698.71 crore to set up their units in Khurda district respectively.
TIMAB Magnesium (Rs 90 crore), Indo Nissin Foods Pvt Ltd (Rs 51 cr), Rice Lake Weighing Systems India Limited (Rs 51 cr), Polimiroir India Private Limited (Rs 128 cr), Danieli India Limited (Rs 190 cr), FM Denim and Twills Pvt. Ltd (Rs 130 cr), Calderys India Refractories Limited (Rs 109.37 cr), Heraeus Technologies India Pvt Ltd (Rs 188.46 cr) and Amsted Steel Foundries (India) Private Limited (Rs 250 cr) FDI projects to be set up in Khurda district.
Similarly, Neo industries Metal Processing Pvt Ltd (Rs 72 crore), Almamet India Private Limited (Rs 50.6 crore) and Corewire Surface Technology Private Limited (Rs 50.1 crore) are being set up in Jajpur district.
Notably, South Korean steel major POSCO had proposed to set up a 12 MTPA plant at Jagatsinghpur with an investment of Rs 52,000-crore. In this respect, an MoU was also signed between Posco and the Odisha Government in 2005 but the plant could never be set up due various reasons from delay in environmental clearances to protests by the locals and the pact expired in 2010. It was not renewed again. The company abandoned the project in 2017.
However, a ray of hope for its return to Odisha came after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has made an announcement in this regard.
In August last, the Chief Minister had announced that POSCO will establish a 6 MTPA green field project in the state’s mineral-rich Keonjhar district in a joint venture with the JSW Group.
JSW Steel had signed a non-binding Heads of Agreement (HoA) to jointly explore setting up a 6 million tons per annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant in India. However, the company did not mention where it will be established.
It also said that JSW and POSCO will undertake a detailed feasibility study to finalise the plant’s location, investment terms, resource availability, and other critical factors.
According to sources, JSW Steel Limited has got the nod of the High-Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) for a 6 MTPA greenfield steel plant in Patna block of the district.
The steel plant will be set up with an investment of Rs 35,000 crore. The project approved by the HLCA in March this year is expected to create 8,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, sources said.
The company has already submitted an application to district administration through Idco for acquisition of 979.62 acre government land and 1,465.92 acre private land in 12 villages under Patna tehsil.
Of which, the Keonjhar district administration has already approved the handover of 99 acre government land to the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco) for the project. (EOM)
