Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met three global business leaders—Mr Ravi Menon, Chairman of Singapore-based GFTN; Mr Michael Schlein, CEO of Accion; and Mr Douglas Feagin, Chairman of Ant International—at Lok Seva Bhawan today.
The delegation arrived in Bhubaneswar for the Black Swan Summit.
The Chief Minister welcomed the guests warmly and highlighted Odisha’s transformation over the past two years. Moreover, he emphasised the state’s progress in infrastructure development and empowerment of farmers and women. He also sought the support of the visiting leaders to strengthen entrepreneurship models for youth and women.
During the interaction, Mr Menon informed the CM that the first batch of 195 Odisha students trained in FinTech had successfully completed their skilling programme. Furthermore, several of them secured jobs in Singapore and other foreign countries. He assured that GFTN would take its partnership with Odisha to the next level by organising boot camps to promote entrepreneurship among skilled youth.
Meanwhile, Mr Schlein and Mr Feagin shared their observations after visiting women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Odisha. They praised the SHGs for their strong business models. In addition, they expressed readiness to support them in scaling up to SMEs. They stressed providing technology and e-commerce marketing support, which would enable SHG women to export their products. They pointed out that similar initiatives had already succeeded in other countries.
Finally, the Chief Minister thanked the delegation for their keen interest in Odisha and their commitment to strengthening partnerships that empower youth and women.
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