Business Eminence Awards-2023
The much-awaited Business Eminence Awards ceremony organised by Dharitri and OrissaPOST held at Hotel Swosti Premium in Bhubaneswar, Saturday, March 18, 2023.
Editor of Dharitri and OrissaPOST Tathagata Satpathy, MSME Minister Pratap Keshari Deb and FICCI President Subhrakant Panda jointly inaugurated the mega event. While Deb is the Chief Guest, Panda is the Chief Speaker.
In his welcome address, Dharitri and OrissaPOST Editor Tathagata Satpathy briefed the audience about the event.
“Odisha is an agrarian economy. The state is trying to turn into an industrial economy and in this entrepreneurs’ role is important. Through the Business Eminence Awards, we try to recognise new and talented entrepreneurs from different fields,” Satpathy said.
Satpathy and MSME Minister Deb conferred Business Eminence Award to FICCI president and IMFA Ltd MD Subhrakanta Panda on the occasion.
“Awards like Business Eminence Awards are necessary to recognise and encourage entrepreneurs to keep doing their work,” Panda said in his acceptance speech. He further added that Odisha is turning into an investment destination in recent times. This is happening because of the focused approach and policies of the state government, he noted.
Minister Deb said that infrastructure development is very important for industrial development.
“Odisha under former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik had started infrastructure development. Business Eminence Awards by Dharitri and OrissaPOST is a perfect place to discuss the business and policy,” he remarked.
Minister Deb said that the goal of the state government is to turn Odisha into a manufacturing hub while adding that people have to change their mindset to enhance the business environment in the state.
It may be mentioned here that the event is being attended by several business personalities from different sectors. The award ceremony has been organised by the newspapers to recognise the outstanding work of industrialists despite a challenging business environment
Business Eminence Awards-2022
Dharitri and Orissa POST organise Business Eminence Awards-2022 to recognise and celebrate local entrepreneurship
Elaborating on progressive policies of the state govt, Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra stated that they are bringing up more developmental projects and policies in future.
Ushering in a new phase of promising industrial development, the second edition of Business Eminence Awards held in Bhubaneswar on 2nd April 2022, Saturday saw Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urging top business leaders
of the state to carry forward the momentum and reach new horizons.
Jointly organised by Dharitri and Orissa POST, the event aims at recognising and celebrating the local entrepreneurship and laud the efforts of distinguished business personalities who continued to create wealth and
employment opportunities for the state braving the debilitating impact of Covid-19.
Inaugurating the event virtually, Patnaik stated that Odisha has shown a spectacular GSDP growth of 10.1 per cent in financial year 2021-22 which is way ahead of the national GDP growth of 8.8 per cent during the same period. Hinting at encouraging times ahead, he mentioned that the industries sector is set for a high growth at 14.5 per cent.
“I congratulate the Dharitri and Orissa POST for conducting this wonderful initiative which will definitely encourage the business community of Odisha. Odisha has received over Rs 4.4 lakh crore investment intents during last three years. This could create employment opportunities for over 1.5 lakh people. I am sure, Odisha will continue to be the most favoured destination of investors from all across the globe,” the Chief Minister added.
Gracing the occasion as chief speaker, Naveen Jindal, Chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL),
reminisced the days of struggle while setting up the first coal gasification plant in India which would shift focus
of consumption of coal for power generation to manufacturing of steel.
“During our struggle of 2014-18 Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his government helped us a lot. The administration helped us run the largest steel plant in Angul where we produced more than 4.5 million tonne steel in last financial year,” Jindal added. Furthermore, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra congratulated Orissa POST and Dharitri for taking steps in organising such a mega event. Elaborating on the progressive policies
taken up by the state government in the last couple of years, Mahapatra stated that they are bringing up more developmental projects and policies in future. Welcoming the guests and awardees, Dharitri and Orissa POST Editor Tathagata Satpathy said, “We have been constantly representing voice of people without fear or favour. Society mostly notices achievers but rarely acknowledges the struggle that one has to face and overcome to achieve success. Observing this, we want to acknowledge and recognise the entrepreneurs and bring them in spotlight through this event,” Satpathy said. Concluding the event, Chief Executive of the newspapers Adyasha Satpathy delivered the vote of thanks.
Business Eminence Awards-2021
Inaugurating the first edition of the Business Eminence Awards function in Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik lauded the efforts of the business leaders in maintaining a positive business climate even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The programme jointly organised by Dharitri and Orissa POST aimed to celebrate the spirit of indigenous entrepreneurship and appreciate the efforts of business persons in Odisha in creating wealth for the state overcoming all odds, especially the COVID pandemic.
Altogether 42 social and economic leaders from the state were honored on the occasion.
In his inaugural speech, delivered through virtual mode, the Chief Minister talked about the hand-holding support provided by the state government to all business sectors during the last one year. “I am happy that Dharitri and Orissa POST have taken the initiative to honour eminent entrepreneurs and business leaders of Odisha. These leaders not only managed to drive their businesses forward during the pandemic but kept a positive outlook during a grim situation,” he said.
He further said, “Though the post-pandemic situation has put the global economy into tailspin, sparing none in the process, the inspiring success stories of local business persons have contributed to the growth of a conducive business climate in the state.”
Hailing the stimulating performances of the winners of the Business Eminence Award, Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan, who was the chief guest at the event, urged the local business houses to focus on adding value to the diverse minerals mined in the state. “This will help to create more wealth for the state and stimulate growth across the province.”
“Odisha is endowed with an assortment of minerals and we currently account for 16 per cent of the entire metal production in the country. However, as far as value addition is concerned, we are way behind other states. The state government as well as our entrepreneurs needs to focus on this. We need to ensure more wealth creation for the lower and middle classes,” he said.
“Unless we improve the lot of the lower middle class and create more wealth, the economy of the state will not rise. Role of education, service industry and others will play vital roles in achieving this,” the minister said.
Delivering the key note address, Vishal Dev, Special Secretary of Tourism Department, discussed how the state, which was once treated as backward, transformed itself into the “most preferred investment destination” during the last two decades.
“Around 2000, Odisha was considered a background state but over the last two decades we have emerged as one of the best governed states. We are leading in several sectors, including disaster management. We are a power surplus state and now emerging as the sports capital of the country,” he said.
Welcoming the guests and awardees, Editor of Dharitri and Orissa POST Tathagata Satpathy said that the Business Eminence Awards aim to recognise the efforts of business persons who didn’t lower their guards during the pandemic, but emerged as role models for many in the state and outside.
Talking about the concept behind the awards, Satpathy said, “This is a very critical phase in global history. COVID has been a great leveler. It taught us all different lessons and forced us to look inwards. It made us conscious of our commonalities. While many in the world failed and collapsed, the awardees are the brave warriors who not only overcame the difficulties, but succeeded and grew. We consider them as social and economic leaders of the state.”
Adyasha Satpathy, CEO of the two publications, delivered the vote of thanks.
