Following Odisha’s ranking among the top 5 states in the nation in the NITI Aayog Investment Friendliness Index-2026, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi was congratulated today at Lok Seva Bhawan by business leaders, industry representatives, and members of industry groups.
Gujarat led the list with 56.6 points, according to the report. With 52.4 points, Odisha took fifth place overall. Goa comes in fourth, Tamil Nadu comes in third, while Maharashtra comes in second. Odisha is ranked fourth among big states. Tamil Nadu was the only state from southern India to place in the top five, whereas Gujarat, Goa, and Maharashtra from western India did. Only Odisha has been identified as a top performer among the northern and eastern states.
The Chief Minister told the industrialists that the NITI Aayog rating was extremely promising. “Team Odisha and the entrepreneurs’ spirits have increased as a result. Our objective is to rank Odisha among the top five states in terms of both economic growth and the industrial sector,” he stated.
The Chief Minister added that the pace of industrial development in the last two years with the support of industry has never been seen before. “We have worked hard for investment in Odisha. Our government believes in work, not words. We had promised to invest Rs 5 lakh crore in 5 years. But in 2 years, it has crossed Rs 3 lakh crore,” he said. He noted that while states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have long been recognized as industrialized states, Odisha started late but is now moving forward at a fast pace. “We have to maintain this speed. We will work to increase the investment fivefold in 5 years,” CM Majhi said.
He added that Odisha’s industrialization has the full backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have raised Rs 20 lakh crore in funding in only two years. As of right moment, 453 projects have been approved to establish industries in the state. An investment of Rs 9.50 lakh crore will result from this. We have inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 152 projects totaling Rs 3.11 lakh crore during the past two years. 2.5 lakh young people now have job prospects because to this. He said, “We are working with the increase in employment with industrialization in all districts in mind.”
