States » EastPosted at: Nov 4 2026 6:52PM


Odisha must unlock its Bauxite wealth, fast-track pending investments: TCF

Bhubaneswar, Nov 4 (UNI) With neighbouring states stepping up efforts to attract large-scale industrial investments, Odisha must urgently accelerate its mineral-led industrialisation, unlock its vast bauxite reserves and convert pending investment commitments into tangible economic growth and employment opportunities, the Think Change Forum (TCF) has said.
In a policy paper titled “Odisha’s Industrial Advantage Faces a New Test,” the Think Change Forum, through its Eastern India Economic Council, has underlined the need for faster project execution, timely policy decisions and greater emphasis on downstream manufacturing to strengthen Odisha’s position as a leading industrial destination.
The report points out that Odisha possesses enormous natural resource wealth, a well-established industrial ecosystem and substantial investment commitments. However, increasing competition from neighbouring states is putting pressure on the state to move faster and translate its industrial potential into actual projects, jobs and prosperity.
Highlighting the emerging industrial opportunities in eastern and southern India, the paper refers to reports that major investor Vedanta is exploring investments worth Rs 70,000–80,000 crore in West Bengal, with the potential to generate around 10,000 jobs. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh is advancing AM/NS India's proposed Rs 1.36 lakh-crore steel project at Anakapalli.
These developments, the report notes, demonstrate the growing scale of industrial competition in the region and underline the urgency for Odisha to capitalise on its existing strengths and investment opportunities.
A major advantage for Odisha lies in its commanding position in the country's bauxite sector. The state accounts for nearly 41 per cent of India's identified bauxite resources and 72.5 per cent of national bauxite production.
With an established aluminium industry ecosystem, Odisha has considerable scope to attract further investments in bauxite refining, aluminium smelting and downstream manufacturing. Timely decisions on pending projects could significantly expand industrial capacity, generate employment and create greater economic value within the state.
Commenting on the findings, Ranganath Tannir, Secretary General of Think Change Forum, said eastern India was witnessing a positive resurgence in industrial growth, opening up significant economic opportunities across the region.
“Our report highlights this as a wake-up call for Odisha to capitalise on its exceptional mineral wealth, established industrial ecosystem and substantial investor commitments. The opportunity is to accelerate pending projects, unlock mineral-led industrial expansion and create thousands of jobs, particularly in economically disadvantaged districts,” he said.
He stressed that the focus must now shift from ease of doing business to ease of project execution through timely approvals and the resolution of administrative and infrastructure-related bottlenecks.
“With the right urgency, Odisha can transform its natural advantages into greater manufacturing capacity, local livelihoods and lasting economic prosperity,” Tannir observed.
The policy paper also draws attention to the gap between investment approvals and actual industrial operations in the state.
According to disclosures made in the Odisha Assembly in March 2026, a total of 1,073 industrial projects involving proposed investments of Rs 24.28 lakh crore had received approval since 2016. However, only 118 projects had fully or partially commenced operations.
As many as 914 projects were still under implementation, while 41 had been withdrawn or dropped.
The figures, the report argues, highlight the pressing need to strengthen implementation mechanisms and ensure that approved investments move towards actual production and employment generation.
To sustain industrial momentum, the paper calls for expediting pending statutory decisions and unlocking the state's mineral potential while strictly adhering to environmental regulations and community safeguards.
It also recommends establishing stronger high-level accountability mechanisms to identify and resolve project-related bottlenecks. Transparent and time-bound approval processes, it says, are essential to provide investors with greater certainty and accelerate long-pending investments.
Another key priority is to promote greater value addition within Odisha by connecting mineral extraction and processing with downstream manufacturing industries. Such an approach would help retain more economic value within the state while creating employment opportunities for local people and strengthening industrial development in economically disadvantaged districts.
The report emphasises that the success of industrial policy should not be judged merely by investment announcements or the number of projects approved. Instead, the focus must be on operational projects, investments actually realised, increased manufacturing capacity and jobs created on the ground.
It further stresses that faster industrialisation must go hand in hand with responsible development, environmental protection and statutory safeguards to ensure that local communities benefit from the state's economic progress.
With its rich mineral resources, established industrial infrastructure and strong investor interest, Odisha has the potential to emerge as one of India's leading manufacturing hubs.
However, the state must now demonstrate greater speed, policy certainty and administrative efficiency to turn its industrial advantages into concrete investments, higher incomes, local employment and long-term prosperity, the policy paper concludes.
UNI DP
Tags: #Odisha must unlock its Bauxite wealth# fast-track pending investments: TCF
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