Bhubaneswar: Reaffirming its commitment to women-led industrialisation, the Odisha government has signed 13 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with women entrepreneurs, involving a cumulative investment of Rs 913.13 crore and an employment potential of 4,302 jobs.
The MoUs were signed at the 4th edition of the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) Shakti Samman 2026, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in the Odisha capital on Friday.
Organised under the theme “Shakti ru Samruddhi” (Strength to Prosperity), the event highlighted the state’s vision of positioning women as entrepreneurs, investors and key contributors to Odisha’s industrial and economic transformation, in line with the goals of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.
The proposed projects spread across high-growth sectors, including sustainable agriculture and agribusiness, food processing, agritech, steel, renewable energy equipment, garment manufacturing, biotechnology, manufacturing, agro-processing, hospitality, fisheries supply-chain infrastructure, and the assembly of motors, pumps and allied products.
The projects are likely to create significant indirect employment through local supply chains, ancillary industries, logistics and allied services.
The programme was attended by Chief Secretary Anu Garg, Industry Department Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma, Science and Technology Department Additional Chief Secretary Chitra Arumugam, senior Government officials, industry leaders, members of the CII Indian Women Network, investors and women entrepreneurs.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Secretary reaffirmed the state government’s vision of building a Viksit Odisha by ensuring women become equal partners in industrial growth, innovation and entrepreneurship. He highlighted flagship initiatives such as Mission Shakti, Subhadra, women-centric skilling programmes and livelihood initiatives, which are enabling women to transition from self-help groups and micro-enterprises to sustainable, growth-oriented businesses. He further stated that progressive industrial policies, investor-friendly reforms and a robust investment ecosystem are creating greater opportunities for women-led enterprises across the State.
“Women are the backbone of our families, the foundation of our society and the driving force of our nation’s progress. The vision of a Viksit Bharat can only be realised when every woman is empowered with the opportunity to learn, lead, innovate, build enterprises and contribute equally to India’s economic transformation,” said the Chief Secretary.