Mumbai, Apr 25 (PTI) Sounding confident that Odisha will emerge as the top player in the steel sector, Chief Minister Mohan Manjhi on Friday said that the state is providing a conducive environment for investors.

"Odisha will lead the country in the steel sector. We are becoming an economic power among the five states which are leading the country (in terms of economic development). Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that Odisha will be the growth engine for making India a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and we are already moving on this path," Manjhi told reporters on the sidelines of Steel India 2025 event, jointly hosted by the Ministry of Steel and industry body Ficci here.

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Stating that steel is the mother industry of the eastern state and on the basis that it is leading India in steel production, Manjhi said, "We are currently producing more than 41 million tonnes of steel. Our target is to take steel production to 130 million tonnes by 2030". At that time, he said, Odisha would account for some 50 per cent of the country's total steel output.

He said that the mineral-mines-rich state, received investment proposals worth Rs 17-lakh crore at the two-day business conclave, "Utkasrh Odisha" held in January this year with a substantial portion of this investment intended for the steel sector.

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Besides, this would also create 9-lakh job opportunities in the state, he said.

He said that the state is getting these opportunities due to the double engine sarkar -- the same party's government at the Centre and in the state -- according importance to infrastructure development including enhancing the road, port and rail connectivity to facilitate the industry.

"We have also rolled out a new industrial policy, offering financial incentives to the industry, which is far more simple and clear than such policies of other states," he added.

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