Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday, June 26, 2026, addressed the CII East India Summit 2026, presenting Odisha as a premier investment and manufacturing destination and calling on industry to help build a 'Samruddha Odisha' as part of the national Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Context

Speaking at the summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), CM Majhi said it was 'a pleasure to address the CII East India Summit 2026 and share Odisha's vision for becoming the growth engine of Eastern India.' He credited the momentum behind eastern development to the 'visionary leadership' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Purvodaya initiative anchors the Centre's strategy for accelerating economic progress across eastern states.

The Chief Minister also highlighted Odisha's state-level scheme, the Go East initiative, describing it as a vehicle for 'creating new opportunities for regional collaboration and industrial growth across Eastern and North Eastern India.'

Policy Backdrop

The Purvodaya programme reflects a deliberate central policy shift, dating to 2014, to close the historical gap in industrial and infrastructure development between India's eastern states and its more prosperous western and southern regions. Dedicated budgetary support for ports, power, and connectivity in eastern states — including allocations in the Union Budget 2024-25 — has reinforced this push.

The Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, first articulated by Prime Minister Modi in 2022, sets a long-term roadmap for a developed India by the centenary of independence. State-level engagements such as the CII East India Summit are increasingly positioned as implementation forums for translating that national ambition into regional action plans.

Odisha has in recent years pursued single-window clearance reforms and faster project approvals to compete with other industrialising states, and CM Majhi underscored this on Friday: 'We are not merely attracting investments, but ensuring their timely execution through bold reforms, faster clearances and industry-friendly governance.'

Stakeholders and Impact

The summit's audience — manufacturers, investors, and industry bodies active in Eastern and North Eastern India — represents the primary constituency for Odisha's pitch. Value-added manufacturing, a sector the state is specifically targeting, could generate significant employment if investment proposals convert to operational units.

Neighbouring eastern and north-eastern states also stand to benefit or compete, as the Go East initiative frames Odisha as a collaborative hub rather than a rival, seeking memoranda of understanding and supply-chain linkages across the region. Industry bodies, logistics players, and port operators along the eastern seaboard are among the stakeholders watching the initiative's progress.

What's Next

The critical test will be whether investment proposals floated at the CII East India Summit 2026 translate into ground-breaking and job creation over the next 12 to 18 months. Expansion of Go East partnerships through formal agreements with other eastern and north-eastern states is a near-term indicator to watch.

As Odisha deepens its alignment with the Centre's Purvodaya framework, the state's ability to deliver on clearance timelines and infrastructure readiness will determine whether its claim to be the 'growth engine of Eastern India' moves from aspiration to measurable outcome.