The Odisha government has approved 27 industrial projects involving investments of more than Rs 2.45 lakh crore. The projects are expected to generate employment for over 50,000 people and will be developed across 15 districts of the state.

The approved investments cover a wide range of sectors, including data centres and artificial intelligence (AI), power and renewable energy, steel, semiconductors, lab-grown diamonds, green hydrogen, healthcare, chemicals, textiles, shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing.

The proposals were cleared at a meeting of the High Level Clearance Authority (HLCA) chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday (September 23).

Data centres account for largest share

Data centres, information technology and IT-enabled services account for the largest portion of the approved investments. Four projects in this segment involve a combined investment of around Rs 1,42,941 crore.

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The projects include:

  • An integrated data centre by High Density Data Centre Ltd in Khurda.
  • An AI-optimised data centre by HCL Technologies Ltd in Khurda.
  • A data centre and global capability centre by Sentraforge AI Ltd in Puri.
  • A data centre project by RKD Construction Private Ltd in Cuttack.

An official said the scale of investment in the IT, IT-enabled services and data-centre sector was a major feature of the latest HLCA approvals.

Power and renewable energy projects

The government also approved four projects in the power and renewable energy sector. Together, these projects represent an investment of Rs 54,287.70 crore. The approvals are part of the state’s plan to bring more investment into power, renewable energy and other new industries. Projects involving renewable energy and green hydrogen could also provide electricity and fuel for future factories and manufacturing units.

Steel projects in Sundargarh

Two projects in the steel and steel downstream sector have been approved for Sundargarh district. The projects will involve a combined investment of Rs 14,000 crore. The downstream steel sector includes activities that use steel to manufacture finished and semi-finished products. Such projects can support supply chains for engineering, construction, machinery and other industrial sectors.

Projects across emerging industries

The 27 approved proposals also cover semiconductors, lab-grown diamonds, chemicals, textiles, shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing. These new development projects indicate that Odisha wants to attract industries beyond mining and metal production. Investments in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing could create jobs for people with technical and specialised skills.

The projects will be set up in 15 districts. However, the government has not yet provided details of where all 27 projects will be located.

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Government focus on wider regional growth

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the geographical spread and sectoral diversity of the projects reflected the government’s intention to expand investment beyond established industrial centres.

“The geographical spread, together with the diversity of sectors, reflects the state government’s focus on expanding investment opportunities beyond conventional industrial clusters and promoting balanced regional industrial development,” CM Majhi said.

The Adani Foundation has also received approval to establish a 1,000-bed multi-speciality hospital in Khurda. The project will involve an investment of Rs 2,150 crore. The proposed hospital is expected to add capacity to the state’s healthcare infrastructure and provide treatment across multiple medical specialities.

As per the state government officials. the approvals are the first step towards starting these projects. Actual investment, construction and job creation will depend on land availability, government clearances, funding and timely execution.