Bhubaneswar, July 31: Reinforcing its commitment to women-led industrialisation, the Odisha government on Friday facilitated the signing of 13 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with women entrepreneurs, bringing in a cumulative investment of ₹913.13 crore and creating the potential for 4,302 direct jobs across multiple high-growth sectors.

The MoUs were exchanged during the 4th Edition of the CII Indian Women Network (IWN) Shakti Samman 2026, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) under the theme "Shakti ru Samruddhi" (Strength to Prosperity). The initiative aligns with the State's vision of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047, positioning women as entrepreneurs, investors and key contributors to Odisha's industrial growth.

The proposed investments span a wide range of sectors, including sustainable agriculture and agribusiness, food processing, agritech, steel, renewable energy equipment, garment manufacturing, biotechnology, agro-processing, hospitality, fisheries supply-chain infrastructure, manufacturing, and the assembly of motors, pumps and allied products.

Besides generating 4,302 direct employment opportunities, the projects are expected to create substantial indirect jobs through local supply chains, logistics and ancillary industries.

The MoUs were exchanged on behalf of the Government by Aboli Sunil Naravane, Managing Director, IPICOL and Director of Industries, Deepankar Mohapatra, Director of Tourism, and Pooja Mishra, Director, Biotechnology Department, reaffirming the State's commitment to supporting women-led industrial investments through strong institutional facilitation.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said women are the backbone of families, society and the nation's progress, adding that the vision of a developed India can only be realised when women are empowered to innovate, build enterprises and contribute equally to economic transformation.

She highlighted that flagship programmes such as Mission Shakti, Subhadra, women-centric skilling initiatives and progressive industrial policies are enabling women to transition from self-help groups to sustainable businesses.

Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma said Odisha's investment-friendly policies, world-class infrastructure, seamless facilitation and continuous mentoring are creating a conducive ecosystem for women entrepreneurs. He stressed that removing barriers to entrepreneurship and ensuring access to finance, markets and mentorship are essential to building a new generation of women-led enterprises.