Make In Odisha 2.0: State eyes tie-ups with TCS, Reliance Jio, Cisco

The Odisha government has reached out to software majors and networking behemoths such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Cisco and Reliance Jio for collaborations in the upcoming Make In Odisha investment summit.

“We are trying to rope in TCS, Infosys and other software companies for giving a boost to the investments in the IT sector and collaborate as technology partners. Similarly, there are plans to collaborate with US-headquartered Cisco and telecom major Reliance Jio as communication and networking partners," said an official source.

The state government is exploring ways to give a digital touch to the biennial event, he added.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has visited Mumbai for the summit, had met Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Reliance Industries Ltd, and Anand Mahindra, the Chairman of Mahindra Group, to explore investment opportunities.

With the second Make in Odisha summit round the corner, the state government has allowed 20 per cent capital investment subsidy for the IT (information technology), IT-enabled services (ITes) and ESDM (Electronic System Design & Manufacturing) companies investing in the state. The biennial summit is to be held from November 11-15.

The state government has declared 20 per cent investment subsidy on fixed capital investment for plant and machinery (except land and building) for IT/ITES/ESDM units, with a maximum limit of Rs 5 million for IT/ITes industries and Rs 50 million for ESDM industries.

The total investment of the company must be within Rs 500 million in the state to avail the subsidy.

In the maiden Make In Odisha campaign held in 2016, IT and electronics system design and manufacturing had attracted Rs 15 billion in investments.

The Odisha government has identified information technology, ITes and ESDM units along with agro and food processing, ancillary and downstream, automobiles and auto-components, manufacturing in aviation and maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, biotechnology, gem stone cutting and polishing, handicraft, handloom, coir and leather products, petroleum, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics and polymers, sea food processing, textile including technical textile and apparel and tourism and hospitality as the priority sectors for attracting investments in the Industrial Policy Resolution-2015.