In a bold pitch for balanced national growth, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi called for a “two-coast strategy” to power India’s next decade of industrial expansion, urging businesses to tap the untapped potential of the eastern seaboard while building on the west’s established strengths.
Addressing industry leaders during a high-profile visit to the Adani-operated Mundra Port — India’s largest commercial port — Majhi declared that the country’s economic future cannot remain skewed toward one coastline. “India’s growth cannot remain one-sided. The next phase of industrial expansion must be powered by the east coast,” he said.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma, and senior officials, toured Mundra’s sprawling facilities, including the Container Jetty, Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Jetty, West Port area, a copper manufacturing unit, and advanced solar cell and wind turbine component plants. The visit served as both a learning mission and a powerful sales pitch for Odisha’s own port-led industrial model.
Majhi drew direct parallels between Mundra’s scale and Odisha’s ambitions. “What has been achieved on the west coast must now be expanded on the east. Odisha offers the ecosystem, connectivity, and policy support to enable that transition,” he told the gathering. He highlighted the state’s strategic location for trade with Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the broader Indo-Pacific, positioning it as a natural gateway for global supply chain diversification.
The Chief Minister showcased Odisha’s accelerating momentum with impressive numbers: 433 investment proposals worth ₹8.37 lakh crore have been approved, of which 148 projects valued at ₹2.86 lakh crore are already grounded and moving toward implementation.
“In Odisha, investment intent is translating into implementation with speed and scale,” Majhi said, pointing to opportunities in logistics, chemicals, petrochemicals, and downstream manufacturing, all backed by robust infrastructure and a facilitation-driven governance model.
Minister Swain, who hails from the port town of Paradip, brought a personal touch to the presentation. “I come from the soil of Paradip, and I have personally witnessed how Paradip has played a pivotal role in shaping Odisha’s economic growth — real, visible, and transformative,” he said. “Today, we are building on that strong foundation to usher in a new phase of port-led industrialisation.”
With major ports like Paradip, Dhamra, and Gopalpur already driving industrial clusters, Odisha is betting heavily on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), industrial corridors, and logistics hubs to create integrated ecosystems that link manufacturing directly to global markets.
As India pushes for more equitable regional development and stronger global trade integration, Majhi’s “two-coast” vision positions Odisha not merely as a participant in the country’s growth story — but as one of its most promising new engines.
