Bhubaneswar: The two-day CII Odisha Metals & Mining Conclave 2026 with the theme “Metals & Mining: Building Blocks for Viksit Odisha” begined, here on Friday.
The inaugural session, “Metals & Mining: Building Blocks for Viksit Odisha,” set the context for transforming Odisha’s rich mineral resources and strong metals ecosystem into a globally competitive, resilient and sustainable sector.
Odisha Indistries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain highlighted Odisha’s strong industrial ecosystem and the need to “make more in Odisha from what we mine in Odisha.”
Industries Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma said Odisha has evolved from a major mining hub into a leading metals centre. “We have moved not only from being the mining industry capital, but also being able to claim that we are the metals capital of India and South Asia,” he said.
He highlighted that around 20 new mines have opened in the last two to three years, with another 30 at various stages, creating opportunities in ancillary services, logistics and technology.
Odisha’s installed steel capacity is expected to reach 150–180 million tonnes over the next five years.
Dr Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner in Kolkata, said the UK is ready to contribute expertise, technology, innovation and investment to India’s critical minerals value chain, including lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel and copper. He called for long-term partnerships supporting decarbonisation and resilient supply chains.
CII Odisha State Council Anil Kumar Singh said Odisha’s next phase of growth must go beyond extraction and focus on value addition, advanced manufacturing, beneficiation, recycling and circularity, supported by sustainable and technology-driven operations.
A major highlight of the inaugural session was the unveiling of SAARTH – Sustainable Action Alliance for Resilient Tomorrow – Odisha Initiative, introduced by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development. The initiative was presented by Shikhar Jain, Executive Director, CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development.
The inaugural session was also addressed by Asit Tripathy, Bibhu Mishra, Rudra Rawal, Shashibhusan Upadhyay, Rajiv Kumar, and Alex Thomas.
The two-day conclave will feature a series of focused sessions on Leadership Talks on Future of Metals & Value Addition Ecosystem: Reinventing the Metals Value Chain, Sustainable & Green Mining Practices: Mining with Vision, Leading with Sustainability, Smart Mining, AI & Digital Transformation: Next-Gen Mining: AI, Automation & Analytics, ESG, Circular Economy & Decarbonisation: ESG-Led Transformation in Mining & Metals, Logistics & Supply Chain Integration in Mining & Metals: Future-Ready Logistics for Mining & Metals and Innovation, Startups & Industry 4.0 Solutions: Smart Innovation for Next-Gen Mining & Metals, addressing key opportunities and challenges across the metals and mining value chain.
