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Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha, will embark on a week-long trip to Japan starting Tuesday, with the aim of attracting more investments, accelerating economic development, and enhancing job opportunities in the state. This marks his third official overseas visit in his 23-year tenure as Chief Minister.
Timeline for Naveen Patnaik Journey
He departed this morning for Delhi to catch a flight to Tokyo; his return trip is scheduled for April 11 via Bangkok.
On April 11, Naveen is expected to return to Odisha from Japan. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is in charge of a 35-member high-level group that will include businesspeople and government officials.
Managing Director of IPICOL Bhupendar Poonia, Principal Secretary for Industries Hemant Sharma, Principal Secretary for E&IT Manoj Mishra, and Minister of Industries, MSME, and Energy Pratap Keshari Deb will also be part of the high-level delegation that Naveen will be leading.
A CMO release stated that in addition to Secretary to CM (5T) V K Pandian and Special Secretary to CM Vineel Krishna, the CM will be accompanied by a business delegation from Odisha made up of representatives from a few industries, including those in the steel, aluminum, textiles, food and seafood processing, green hydrogen, and green ammonia sectors. Naveen will go on a chartered flight from Bhubaneswar to Singapore and then on to Tokyo on Monday, while some team members left for Delhi on Sunday to catch the journey to Japan. Bangkok will be used for Naveen’s homecoming from Japan.
The CM Naveen Patnaik led group will meet one-on-one with potential investors during their tour, host the Odisha Business Meet Tokyo 2024, and participate in an interactive gathering with the Odia delegates in Japan. One of the countries that partnered for the Made in Odisha (MIO) summits in 2018 and 2022 was Japan. The delegation, led by the CM Naveen Patnaik, will highlight the state’s investment potential and welcoming policies to draw capital to industries including food processing, chemicals, plastics, and petrochemicals, in addition to textiles, clothing, and tourism.
The delegation is scheduled to visit Kimitsu Steel Works and the R&D centre of Nippon Steel Corporation in order to explore opportunities for cooperation in the areas of skill development and high-tech start-ups as Odisha looks to strengthen its ties with Japan in areas of sports and tourism promotion. The possibility of working together to coach and develop athletes in Odisha will also be investigated. In order to obtain the knowledge of Japanese coaches for the proposed construction of a high-performance gymnastics centre at the Kalinga Stadium with training centres in Puri, Rourkela, and Jeypore, the state government is set to sign an MoU with Arcelor Mittal/Nippon Steel (AM/NS).
According to the press release, in addition to his mission to boost investments and economic growth, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has planned a roundtable discussion in Kyoto to explore potential collaboration opportunities in the tourism sector between Japan and Odisha, particularly focusing on Buddhist and ecotourism-related sites in the state. During his week-long trip from April 4 to 8, the Chief Minister will also have the opportunity to meet with prominent businessmen and investors in Tokyo and Kyoto, and engage in interactive discussions with the Odia people residing in Japan. The itinerary also includes hosting the Odisha Business Meet Tokyo 2024 and conducting one-on-one meetings with potential investors. The Industries Minister, Pratap Keshari Deb, shared this information.
Japan was a country partner at the Made in Odisha conference in 2022, and the Indian ambassador to Japan attended the plenary session and extended an invitation to the Chief Minister to travel to Japan.
