Bhubaneswar: Sunil Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Aluminum Business Unit of Vedanta Limited at Jharsuguda has been elected as the chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Odisha State Council, for the year 2025-26.

Suresh G., Executive Director, Odisha Assets Operations, AM/NS India, has been elected as the Vice-Chairman of the CII, Odisha State Council, for the same period.

Elaborating on the priorities for the coming years, Gupta emphasized the strategic importance of CII in driving the development of Odisha in key sectors like MSME, metals and mining, healthcare and agriculture and food processing.

“CII aims to drive inclusive economic growth in the state by expanding its operations, especially in Western Odisha, and by working closely with the Odisha government in sectors like industry, MSME, agriculture, environment, tourism and skill development,” Gupta said.

The CII will also focus on strengthening the industrial ecosystem of Odisha by promoting green building certification, increasing export potential and improving infrastructure through green projects. Key initiatives like the MSME Connect series will ensure inclusive and sustainable industrial development by connecting small enterprises with larger industries and PSUs.

Similarly, Suresh G reiterated the council's commitment to utilize CII's Centres of Excellence to bring sectoral expertise to Odisha. "We will support employment generation and productivity by providing training on GST, GeM, TQM and Export Documentation. Along with this, we have partnered with the Department of Skill Development and Technical Education to upskill the youth of Odisha,” he said.

The CII State Council has emphasized the importance of women empowerment, entrepreneurship development and leadership through the CII Women Network. In addition, CII will engage with urban development departments to build the capacity of ULB staff and support medical tourism by improving connectivity and healthcare infrastructure.

As part of a broader development agenda, CII Odisha will implement various initiatives in the areas of tourism, innovation, urbanization, transportation and multi-modal logistics, fisheries and aquaculture, climate sustainability, energy transformation, and preservation of Odisha's rich arts, heritage and sports sector.

Together, CII and its new leadership are committed to creating an enabling environment for businesses, empowering communities, and supporting policy support for sustainable economic transformation in Odisha, said the industry body.