Industrial reforms, low carbon emissions exalt Odisha in Niti Aayog ranking

A string of reforms to ease and facilitate industrial infrastructure and commitment to cut down carbon footprint through distribution of LED bulbs helped Odisha climb up the rankings of Niti Aayog's Index. The states were appraised on the basis of efforts made to achieving the mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

According to a recent Niti Aayog report, Odisha is the second fastest mover state with a score of 58. 2019 witnessed Odisha gaining nine points as its score moved up from 51 in 2018. Odisha is rated the second best in overall development, next only to Uttar Pradesh. The northern state drastically improved its score from 42 in 2018 to 55 in 2019 with the goal of affordable and clean energy driving the surge in rankings.

For Odisha, the ninth SDG goal defined by industry, infrastructure and innovation has contributed the most to the elevation in ranking.

Over the years, Odisha has rolled out a suite of reforms on the industrial front to ease worries for investors. Most striking of these reforms is the unveiling of GO-SWIFT, the acronym for Government of Odisha Single Window Investor Facilitation & Tracking. This portal is a one-stop solution to all of investor woes- it tracks the entire life cycle of a virgin project from conception to implementation and beyond. The GO-SWIFT portal has received more than 1000 investment proposals in two years of its launch.

A first-of-its-kind in the country, GO-SWIFT provides information on business reforms and policy initiatives. The investor dashboard on the portal allows users to track the real-time status of their application and get alerts via SMS and email. GO-SWIFT also has a department dashboard for senior government officials to use and track the industrial units in the state. 

“GO-SWIFT has seamlessly integrated all other existing online systems such as GO PLUS for land use services and a GO iPAS for post land allotment services to industrial units. The portal has played a catalytic role in narrowing the average time taken for approving a project to 20 days”, said a government official.

To substantiate the efficacy of the GO-SWIFT portal, the proposal of Tata Steel Processing and Distribution Limited (TSPDL), a Tata Steel subsidiary to set up its unit at an investment of Rs 92 crore was approved in a record time of four days after submitting the application on the GO-SWIFT portal.

That apart, the state government has created a land bank aggregating more than 150,000 acres of land for use of industrial projects. This initiative has eased the allotment of land to new industries which has been historically beset with resistance and consequential delay.

The NITI Aayog study has also acknowledged the strides made by Odisha in the areas of poverty, health, quality education, gender equality, water sanitation and economic growth. In calendar 2019, Odisha has accomplished substantive success in making a success out of the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan” and eliminating open defecation. More number of households especially in rural Odisha got access to LPG courtesy Ujjwala scheme.

Odisha aced all states in saving the highest quantum of carbon dioxide emissions by going on an overdrive to distribute low cost LED bulbs.