Bhubaneswar, Mar 8: The state has seen significant industrial development over the last two decades. The large-scale increase in investment necessitates stronger facilitation and handholding of industrial projects at the district level and quick development of linked infrastructure facilities. The industrial development will help creating employment opportunities for the youth.

The role of district administration led by the Collectors is gaining prime importance in enabling accelerated growth of industries and infrastructure. 

In a significant move to streamline the investment facilitation mechanism at the district level, the Government of Odisha has announced setting up of dedicated “District Investment Promotion Agencies (DIPA)” in each of the 30 Districts across the State. DIPAs shall operate under the leadership of respective District Collector with other senior district officials including SPs, DFOs and line Department officials being constituent members. The District Collector shall be supported by a team of professionals for investment facilitation, project monitoring and promoting local entrepreneurship.

The DIPAs will be housed at the District Collectorate. The key roles of DIPA will include:

1. Facilitating and handholding entrepreneurs during project implementation
2. Promoting enterprises to create large-scale employment
3. Investment promotion leveraging local strengths of respective districts
4. Ensuring early resolution of investor grievances
5. Creation of land bank for fast project implementation
6. Closely monitoring implementation of major road, power supply and water supply projects which will facilitate industrialization and economic growth

DIPAs will work as an extended arm of IPICOL and will be set up in phases from April 2021 to December 2021.

DIPAs will play an active and effective role in expediting setting up of large as well as MSME projects in the respective districts. This initiative will provide a significant boost to the business environment and thereby generate significant local employment. The performance of DIPAs will be monitored by State Level Single Window Clearance Authority and will also be evaluated through annual rankings of districts based on investor feedback.