Prafulla Das
Steel, power, alumina refineries chief gainers
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State of choice
Over Rs 4,00,000 cr in mineral-based industries
Huge investments in IT, tourism, and education
Private cos evince interest in ports, rail links and roads
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Bhubaneswar , July 23
Orissa is currently witnessing a spurt in investment activity.
After Reliance Energy's announcement on Friday on setting up a 12,000 MW power plant at a total investment of Rs 60,000 crore, Bhushan Steel and Strips on Saturday submitted a proposal to increase the capacity of its upcoming steel mill from three million tonnes to nine million tonnes at an additional investment of Rs 15,000 crore.
Orissa has so far attracted private investments of over Rs 4,00,000 crore for setting up mineral-based industries such as steel mills, power plants, and alumina refineries.
Besides, the State is also attracting huge investments in IT, tourism, and education.
Ceremonies of signing of agreements and powerpoint presentations have become a routine activity in the conference hall outside the Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik's office.
Teams of officials from various companies are seen meeting top officials of different Departments and Ministers to apprise them of their requirement of land, iron ore, bauxite, coal, and water.
In the steel sector, 43 MoUs have been signed for the production of 58 million tonnes of steel annually at a total investment of around Rs 1,40,000 crore.
The 44th agreement is likely to be signed shortly with Arcelor-Mittal for a 12-million-tonne steel mill at an investment of Rs 40,000 crore.
The rush to make steel gained momentum towards the last quarter of 2004 after officials of the Korean steel major, Posco, visited the State and announced plans to set up a 12-million-tonne steel plant at an investment of Rs 51,000 core, the highest ever FDI in the country.
The major players who have signed agreements are Posco, Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power, Sterlite Iron and Steel Company, and Essar.
In the energy sector, apart from Reliance Energy, major companies that have come forward to set up power plants include NLC, Tata Power Company, Sterlite Energy, KBK Nilachal, and Monnet Ispat.
Three companies - GMR Energy, Aban Power, and Nav Bharat Ferro Alloys - have finalised their proposals.
Besides, the State Government has announced that it would launch a joint venture company to produce 1,000 MW.
The projected investment in thermal power projects has crossed the Rs 1,50,000-crore mark.
With regard to aluminium, Vedanta Alumina is constructing a one-million-tonne refinery in Kalahandi at an investment of Rs 4,500 crore.
Utkal Alumina has also begun the process of construction of a one-million-tonne refinery in Rayagada district at an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.
The Aditya Birla Group has signed MoU to set up a three-million-tonne alumina complex with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore.
An L&T-Dubai Aluminium Company joint venture has also expressed its desire to put up a refinery at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore.
Development of ports is also attracting investments. The Dhamra Port Company has already initiated construction at Dhamra in Bhadrak district.
Private companies have also invested in construction of rail links and roads.
In the IT sector, Infosys and Satyam are already operating in the State. Wipro, TCS, Hexaware, and MindTree, have inked MoUs to set up facilities.
Education and tourism are other sectors attracting investments.
The Anil Agarwal Foundation has announced the setting up of a multi-disciplinary University at an investment of Rs 15,000 crore.
It will accommodate 100,000 students.
The Tata Group has completed construction of a budget hotel in Bhubaneswar and is planning four more such hotels in the State.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Hurt pride
DISINVESTMENT
Hurt pride
THE Centre's decision on Nalco was immediately opposed by the 7,000-odd employees of the company, trade unions and political parties. What added momentum to the agitation was the feeling of the common man that Nalco was Orissa's pride. While the workers of Nalco abstained from work, political parties organised rallies and demonstrations.
The workers at the company's smelter at Angul observed a 12-hour strike on June 23. Workers at the company's refinery in Damanjodi (Koraput district) stopped work for 24 hours on June 24. The officers and workers at the company's corporate office in Bhubaneswar abstained from work on June 26.
On June 25, all major Central trade unions held a State-level convention in Bhubaneswar to decide a course of action. Apart from the union leaders, representatives of various political parties and leaders of Nalco employees' unions attended the convention, which unanimously criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The participants termed the Centre's decision `anti-people' and said there was no reason to sell equity in Nalco when the company's profits had been rising every year. Several of them alleged that the Centre was using Orissa as a laboratory for testing its dubious policies and promised that the people of Orissa would not remain silent spectators.
The trade unions vowed to bring to a halt all Central government establishments, including railways, ports, industries, and postal services, in Orissa on June 30. They decided that if the Centre did not change its decision after the strike, an all-party delegation would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and a State-wide bandh would be called.
Presiding over the convention, veteran trade union leader and former Member of Parliament Shivaji Patnaik warned that the agitation against disinvestment of Nalco would go on until the plan was dropped and urged political parties to put up a combined fight.
The unions that participated in the convention included the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), the United Trade Union Congress (Lenin Sarani) and the All India Council of Central Trade Unions (AICCTU).
Lalit Mohan Patnaik, chairman of the Central Coordination Committee of Nalco unions, pointed out that mobilising resistance this time was easier than in 2001 when the NDA tried to sell the company to a `strategic partner'. Clearly, the ruling Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) decision to take the fight to the Centre has given a boost to those opposing the disinvestment move.
As opposition to the move grew among workers and trade unions, the BJD led from the front. Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him to reconsider the decision. The party's Koraput unit observed a bandh in Damanjodi on June 26, paralysing normal life in the small industrial town. Production was affected in the refinery that day as many workers did not turn up. The party's various wings took turns to stage demonstrations outside the Nalco corporate office in the following days.
The BJP did not want to be left out of the action. Its youth wing staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar. A senior leader, Vinay Katiyar, while on a visit to the State, demanded immediate withdrawal of the plan. He, however, found it difficult to clarify his party's position, since a similar move had been made during the NDA regime.
Congress leaders of the State were also in a difficult situation. Instead of participating in the protests, they rushed to New Delhi to lobby with the party high command to reconsider the decision.
The Left parties were comfortably placed. Their stand on the issue had remained unchanged. Janardhan Pati, secretary of the state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that his party had always been opposed to the privatisation of profit-making public undertakings and would continue to oppose such moves.
Prafulla Das
Hurt pride
THE Centre's decision on Nalco was immediately opposed by the 7,000-odd employees of the company, trade unions and political parties. What added momentum to the agitation was the feeling of the common man that Nalco was Orissa's pride. While the workers of Nalco abstained from work, political parties organised rallies and demonstrations.
The workers at the company's smelter at Angul observed a 12-hour strike on June 23. Workers at the company's refinery in Damanjodi (Koraput district) stopped work for 24 hours on June 24. The officers and workers at the company's corporate office in Bhubaneswar abstained from work on June 26.
On June 25, all major Central trade unions held a State-level convention in Bhubaneswar to decide a course of action. Apart from the union leaders, representatives of various political parties and leaders of Nalco employees' unions attended the convention, which unanimously criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The participants termed the Centre's decision `anti-people' and said there was no reason to sell equity in Nalco when the company's profits had been rising every year. Several of them alleged that the Centre was using Orissa as a laboratory for testing its dubious policies and promised that the people of Orissa would not remain silent spectators.
The trade unions vowed to bring to a halt all Central government establishments, including railways, ports, industries, and postal services, in Orissa on June 30. They decided that if the Centre did not change its decision after the strike, an all-party delegation would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and a State-wide bandh would be called.
Presiding over the convention, veteran trade union leader and former Member of Parliament Shivaji Patnaik warned that the agitation against disinvestment of Nalco would go on until the plan was dropped and urged political parties to put up a combined fight.
The unions that participated in the convention included the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), the United Trade Union Congress (Lenin Sarani) and the All India Council of Central Trade Unions (AICCTU).
Lalit Mohan Patnaik, chairman of the Central Coordination Committee of Nalco unions, pointed out that mobilising resistance this time was easier than in 2001 when the NDA tried to sell the company to a `strategic partner'. Clearly, the ruling Biju Janata Dal's (BJD) decision to take the fight to the Centre has given a boost to those opposing the disinvestment move.
As opposition to the move grew among workers and trade unions, the BJD led from the front. Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik wrote to the Prime Minister, urging him to reconsider the decision. The party's Koraput unit observed a bandh in Damanjodi on June 26, paralysing normal life in the small industrial town. Production was affected in the refinery that day as many workers did not turn up. The party's various wings took turns to stage demonstrations outside the Nalco corporate office in the following days.
The BJP did not want to be left out of the action. Its youth wing staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar. A senior leader, Vinay Katiyar, while on a visit to the State, demanded immediate withdrawal of the plan. He, however, found it difficult to clarify his party's position, since a similar move had been made during the NDA regime.
Congress leaders of the State were also in a difficult situation. Instead of participating in the protests, they rushed to New Delhi to lobby with the party high command to reconsider the decision.
The Left parties were comfortably placed. Their stand on the issue had remained unchanged. Janardhan Pati, secretary of the state committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said that his party had always been opposed to the privatisation of profit-making public undertakings and would continue to oppose such moves.
Prafulla Das
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