THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR, MAY 29, 2026
“Achieving the vision of Samrudha Odisha and Viksit Bharat by 2036 and 2047 will require MSMEs to grow alongside
large industries,” said Sampad Chandra Swain, Minister, Department of
Industries, Skill Development & Technical Education, Government of Odisha,
while addressing the CII MSME Connect Series 2026: Expanding Business Horizon
held in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Odisha, the
conference brought together senior government officials, industry leaders and
MSMEs on a common platform to strengthen industrial collaboration and create
new business opportunities for Odisha’s MSME sector.
Addressing the gathering as the Chief Guest, Minister Swain emphasized
the need for stronger coordination between MSMEs and anchor industries to
ensure inclusive industrial growth in the state. Stressing the importance of
industrial area mapping, he said identifying MSME opportunities around large
industries would play a crucial role in accelerating entrepreneurship and local
economic development.
Highlighting Odisha’s growing industrial prominence, the Minister stated
that Odisha has emerged as the second-highest investment destination in the
country after Andhra Pradesh under the Utkarsh Odisha initiative. He noted that
the state is witnessing rapid industrial expansion and MSMEs must prepare
themselves to leverage the emerging opportunities across sectors.
Rashmita Panda, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of Micro, Small,
and Medium Enterprises, Government of Odisha, highlighted the growing strength
of Odisha’s MSME ecosystem and informed that the state now has more than 14
lakh MSMEs registered under Udyam. She emphasized the importance of vendor
development, stronger industry connect and ease of doing business for
sustainable MSME growth.
She further stated that the Government is focusing on key sectors such as
food processing, mineral & metal and textiles to strengthen the state’s
industrial ecosystem and generate more employment opportunities.
Delivering the opening remarks, Anil Kumar Singh, Chairman, CII Odisha
State Council, highlighted the significant contribution of MSMEs towards
employment generation and economic growth in Odisha. He stressed the need for
MSMEs to enhance their capabilities and competitiveness to effectively leverage
the upcoming industrial investments in the state.
Manikanta Naik, Vice Chairman, CII Odisha State Council, underlined the
importance of collaboration between large industries and MSMEs to bridge the
industrial growth gap. He encouraged enterprises to actively engage with
industries and explore new avenues for business expansion.
Sharing his views during the conference, Dr Pradipta Mohanty, Past
Chairman, CII Odisha State Council, stressed the need for focused development
of MSMEs in sectors such as textiles, food processing and agriculture. He also
emphasized the importance of affordable infrastructure and technology adoption
for strengthening the MSME sector.
Sanjay Pattnaik, Past Chairman, CII Odisha State Council, highlighted key
challenges faced by MSMEs, including issues related to land availability,
finance, digital transformation, sustainability and risk management. He
stressed the need for policy support and collaborative efforts to help MSMEs
overcome these challenges and become globally competitive.
The conference also provided a significant networking and business interaction platform for MSMEs, enabling them to directly engage with leading industries including Vedanta Ltd, Jindal Stainless Ltd, HINDALCO Industries Ltd, JSW Steel Ltd, IFFCO, Talcher Fertilizers Ltd, Calderys India Refractories Ltd, NALCO Ltd, L&T, TPCODL and Shri Mahavir Ferro Alloys.
More than 200 MSMEs participated in the conference, reflecting the growing enthusiasm among enterprises to explore partnerships, strengthen supply chain linkages and expand business opportunities amid Odisha’s rapidly evolving industrial landscape.
