Can Odisha Govt Create The Promised 3.5-Lakh Jobs By 2029?

In May 2024 when Mohan Charan Majhi government came to power he had set an ambitious target of creating over 3.5 lakh new jobs in the state by 2029. Political commentator Ruben Banerjee says going by the current rate of hiring it will take the state government 140 years to achieve that number. According to him, against the promise of providing 65 000 employment in the first two years 2024-26, the Majhi government provided employment to only 39,505 people. However, clued-in political commentators say job creation should not be an issue since Majhi’s Odisha seems quite set to acquire India’s top 5 industrial state status diversifying beyond metal by 2029.  Odisha government is now targeting Rs 5 lakh crore commissioned industrial investments by 2029 from eminent industrial houses like Vedanta, JSW Group, Adani Group, and Tata Steel, IndianOil Corporation, ACME Group, SRF and Bharat Forge thus making a  transition from a largely mineral-based economy to a diversified manufacturing powerhouse.