The Odisha government has announced plans to develop a 25-acre IT park in Bhubaneswar with world-class facilities, targeting IT, ITeS, semiconductor and AI firms. According to reports from Business Standard, the proposed park will be strategically located at Damana Square, between Infocity and Infovalley, with the Electronics and IT Department floating an expression of interest (EoI) to invite developers and investors. The park is expected to accommodate proposed domestic and global technology companies that have evinced interest in investing in the state. The department has positioned this as an iconic "walk-to-work" tech destination for a next-generation integrated business ecosystem capable of attracting major IT, IT-enabled services, semiconductor design, electronics, artificial intelligence, data analytics and emerging technology companies.
The IT park will feature more than 4.5 million square feet of built-up space along with supporting urban infrastructure, smart utilities and commercial facilities. As reported by Business Standard, nearly 70% of the built-up area, or over three million square feet, will be dedicated to IT and IT-enabled services operations, including space for large corporates, global capability centres (GCCs), semiconductor design firms and technology-driven enterprises. The remaining 30% will be developed as mixed-use infrastructure comprising retail, hospitality, residential support and lifestyle facilities, transforming the campus into a vibrant live-work-play destination. The selected developer will be responsible for planning, designing and developing the entire project in a phased or integrated manner, depending on market demand and project feasibility, according to the EoI document.
Odisha has received investment intents worth more than ₹50,000 crore in IT, IT-enabled services, electronics manufacturing, semiconductors, data centres and ancillary industries at various investor summits. According to Business Standard, the state government has already signed MoUs with five semiconductor units, including SiCSem Pvt Ltd for a silicon carbide-based compound semiconductor manufacturing unit and US-headquartered 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS) Inc and Intel for India's first compound semiconductor fab and advanced 3D chip packaging unit, respectively.
Recent political developments in Odisha include the induction of Sujata into the BJD, marking one of the most consequential political developments since the change of government in 2024. As reported by The Times of India, Sujata, a native of Kendrapara district, played a crucial role in implementing the Mamata scheme, a conditional cash transfer programme aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes. She was appointed secretary of the dedicated Mission Shakti Department when it was created in 2021 and continued in the position until the 2024 elections. Her husband, Pandian, had resigned from the bureaucracy in 2023 before entering active politics to spearhead the BJD's election campaign. Party leaders indicate her induction is expected to strengthen the BJD's outreach among women voters and revive a network that played a critical role in the party's electoral dominance for over two decades.
