PRESS RELEASE OF 25/10/2005(CM MET SHRI SHARAD PAWAR........)
GOVERNMENT OF ORISSA
PRESS RELEASE
New Delhi
October 25, 2005
Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Orissa today met the Union Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Sharad Pawar and congratulated him for the decision taken to set up a National Fishery Development Board on the pattern of the National Dairy Development Board. Shri Patnaik highlighted the enormous potential of Orissa in the fishery sector on account of its long coast line, fresh water bodies and brackish water area, including the Chilka, which is the largest brackish water lagoon of Asia. Since the proposed Board would focus mainly on aquaculture, Shri Patnaik stated that Bhubaneswar, which already hosts the Central Institute for Fresh Water Aquaculture, would be the ideal location for the proposed National Fishery Development Board and assured required infrastructure support from the State Government. Shri Pawar acknowledged the strategic location as well as importance of Orissa insofar as Fishery Development was concerned. He mentioned that the proposal for setting up the National Fishery Development Board, which has been approved by his Ministry was likely to be approved shortly by the Planning Commission and the Cabinet, after which the location of the Board as well as other related issues would be finalized. He stated that the offer of the Government of Orissa to host the National Fishery Development Board would receive positive and serious consideration.
Later, the Chief Minister called on the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Ocean Development, Shri Kapil Sibal and requested him for sanctioning a National Institute for Advanced Materials and Applications (NIAMA) for Orissa, which may be located at Bhubaneswar. He stated that the huge mineral deposits, including atomic minerals (rare earths), concentration of mineral based industries, especially in the areas of steel and aluminium, and the presence of a robust network of technical institutions at Bhubaneswar such as the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Material Sciences, Biju Patnaik University of Technology, OUAT and Utkal University make Bhubaneswar an obvious choice for such an institution, which in the long run, was imperative to make India a leading player in the manufacturing sector. The Chief Minister handed over a copy of the Detailed Project Report, which involves a one time capital cost of around Rs.78 crore and recurring expenditure of around Rs.7 crore per annum. Shri Kapil Sibal appreciated the proposal and pending detailed appraisal agreed to get work started in that direction in the existing Institute of Material Sciences at Bhubaneswar.
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