Ashok Chandra Panda, the minister of science and technology for the state of Odisha, called business leaders and investors to help the state’s biotech industry grow.
Panda discussed the measures done by the Odisha government to create the Biotech Park in Andharua near Bhubaneswar while addressing at the International Conference Bio-Asia in Hyderabad.
Speaking at the conference’s closing session, Minister Ashok Panda said that all qualified biotechnology ventures would receive sufficient government support and handholding because it is a key industry in the state’s IPR-2022. In order to manufacture several vaccines in the Odisha Biotech Park in Andharua, he said that Bharat Biotech, through its anchor tenant M/s Sappigen Biologix, has committed more than 500 Crore. According to him, they also promised to invest an additional 700 crores in its expansion.
In comparison to other Indian States, Odisha is developing an innovative strategy by utilising its competitive advantages in institutional systems, human resources, rich natural Biodiversity, and low-cost production manufacturing capabilities, according to Panda, who noted that the expanding ecosystem for Startups in the existing Bioincubators has already been moving at a similar pace as elsewhere in the nation.
The Minister also announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the Global Network of Entrepreneurs and Professionals for Odisha (GNEPO) to facilitate Global Odisha Entrepreneurial Exchanges and provide a platform for the development of Bioentrepreneurship in Odisha with a global reach.
The Odisha government has developed enticing incentive programmes, tax breaks, and capital investment subsidies for bio-entrepreneurs. He also mentioned that the government is preparing a blueprint on how to combine biotechnology for creating new products from bioresources already in existence.
Minister Panda also spoke with Telangana’s Minister of Information Technology and Industry, K.T. Ramarao, about the expansion of biotechnology research and education in the State. He claimed that Odisha was dedicated to creating an ecosystem with significant investments in capacity building that could support the State’s and the nation’s bio-economy because of its strong network of academic institutions, research organisations, and human and biological resources. Also, he spoke with Dr. Satish Reddy of Dr. Reddy’s Lab and officials from the Federation of Asian Biotech Association (FABA).
Prasanta Patnaik 
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