Announcements
Lulu Group heads to Odisha as Indian state woos investors in Dubai
With trade growing between the UAE and India, the government from the western state of Odisha has parked base in Dubai with the hope of securing Foreign Direct Investment in various sectors.
Leading a delegation of industrialists and bureaucrats from the state is the chef de mission himself, the state’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been at the helm for 23 years and is the longest serving state honcho in India.
And the deals have already started materialising with the Lulu Group signing an MoUto invest in hypermarkets and a product sourcing centre worth 1,500 crores or $190 million.
Even before taking the stage to present the vision to a 150-plus audience of possible investors at the Oberoi Hotel, Mr Patnaik and the Odisha government officials had one to one business meetings, which delayed the start of the overall session. Although the delay was not much, the presenters apologised and adjusted their presentation to slot in the agenda and practice what they preached on the high level of professional standards displayed in Odisha.
Close on the heels of the CEPA agreement between the UAE and India governments, the situation is conducive for investors to come forward, said Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE.
Riding on the last two years of a high level of investments approved by Government of Odisha, amounting to over US$50 billion since 2021, the state highlighted progress made in sectors such as Mineral resources, Metals, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Textiles and Apparel, Food processing, Logistics and Clean Energy.
In a pre-recorded pitch, Mr Patnaik underlined Odisha’s advantage of being rich in mineral resources; the human resource advantage of investing and focusing on skilled labour; Odisha’s use of enabling technology in delivering efficient and effective investment facilitation and its progressive policy and governance.
“Odisha holds the lion’s share of India’s mineral reserves with 96 percent of the country’s chromite reserves, 92 percent nickel, 53 percent bauxite, 45 percent manganese, 35 percent iron-ore, and 23 percent coal reserves of India. This has made Odisha the largest producer of Steel, Stainless Steel, Ferro Alloys, Alumina, and Aluminium in India. Odisha also has 11 percent of India’s water resources. The state has a 480-km long coastline making it a natural choice for setting up ports, and for international trade,” Mr Patnaik said.
“We have made good investments in setting up technical and professional institutes at all skill levels – ITIs, Polytechnics, and engineering and management colleges. Eleven of India’s top 100 Industrial training institutes are in Odisha. With the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Institute of Technical Education Services (ITEES), Singapore, the Government of Odisha has recently established the World Skill Centre in Bhubaneswar to prepare the Odia workforce for modern and new age Industry.”
Odisha is home to over 1200 start-ups, many of which are in the technology space, he added.
According to Mr Hemanta Sarma, principal secretary, Mr Patnaik “himself makes calls to at least 10 investors or businessmen every day”, such is the passion as the state has moved on from an agrarian economy to an industrial one over the past two decades.
Among the industrialists who spoke was Parth Jindal, the head of JSW Steel. After highlighting the business aspects for his company, Mr Jindal reminded all that it was not just business but the fact that the state has become the pride of India in the world of sport as well.
“As someone who are associated with Delhi Capitals in the IPL and the Bengaluru Football Club, I have been witness to how much encouragement Mr Patnaik has given to sport. A first medal in 41 years at the Olympic stage (in hockey) is a matter of pride for all and again the reason for it has been Odisha government’s support.”
I attended #OdishaInvestorsMeet held in Dubai where Hon’ble CM @Naveen_Odisha highlighted the State’s transformation into an industrial hub & investors shared their excellent experience. The meet was jointly organised by @InvestInOdisha @IndembAbuDhabi & @ficci_india. @CMO_Odisha pic.twitter.com/2wVSXEfHpg
— Subhrakant Panda (@subhrakantpanda) June 29, 2022
Satish Pai, managing director of Hindalco, said it succinctly in his supporting address: “If you want things to be done on time, in budget, and smoothly, come to Odisha.”
The team Odisha also conducted one-on-one B2G meetings with major companies of the region such as LuLu Group, NBTC Group, Sharaf Group, Twenty Fourteen Holding and Tablez Group, ERAM Group, Sobha Group, Arab and India Spices LLC, Tabreed, etc. The State Government invited them to explore Odisha in their future expansions and apprised them of the huge Indian and sub-continent market. The government also assured all the companies of unmatched facilitation and support.
The Chief Minister extended the invitation to businesses in the MENA region to attend the 3rd Make In Odisha Investor Meet (Nov 30 – Dec 4, 2022) in the state capital of Bhubaneshwar and witness the opportunities the state offers.
Announcements
UAE’s first-ever Woman Grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to play the Norway Chess Open 2025
In a bid to encourage chess players in the Middle East and provide a platform at the global stage, the organisers of Norway Chess – one of the most prestigious tournaments in the FIDE chess calendar – has invited Emirate’s first-ever female grandmaster Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 which will see participation from 31 countries.
The 15-year-old Rouda was formally presented with the invitation by Kjell Madland, Managing Director and visionary behind Norway Chess, today at a press event in Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai. Also present at the grand occasion was Dr Mansoor Al Tamimi, Vice Technical Committee Chair, the Technical Director from the Abu Dhabi Chess Club and Mind Games. Koneru Humpy, two-time women’s world rapid chess champion, also joined virtually and wished Rouda ahead of her upcoming events.
Kjell Madland, Managing Director of Norway Chess, presents the official invitation to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025 to Rouda Al Serkal, the UAE’s first Woman Grandmaster, as Benedicte Westre Skog, COO of Norway Chess, looks on during the official press conference held at the Seven Seas Hotel in Dubai on Wednesday. Photo Credit: Joy Dasgupta/Norway chess
The Norway Chess Open 2025 will be held from May 26 to June 1 at the IMI Forum in Stavanger, attracting both grandmasters and ambitious chess players seeking title norms and valuable competitive experience. With previous participants like reigning World Champion Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, who participated in the Norway Chess Open as budding players before their meteoric rise in the sport, has established itself as an essential arena for players seeking high-level competition.
Speaking about providing this unique opportunity for Rouda, Kjell Madland expressed, “Norway Chess is delighted to invite Rouda Essa Alserkal to participate in this year’s Norway Chess Open 2025. I congratulate Rouda on the remarkable feat to become the first woman Chess Grandmaster from the UAE and she stands tall as an inspiration for women in this region to achieve. The Norway Chess Open provides a great opportunity for Grandmasters and chess players to hone their skills and gain competitive exposure. We hope to find and encourage many future chess stars from the Middle East to play in the Norway Chess Open.”
Madland further highlighted the importance of growing chess as a competitive sport in the Middle East and expressed interest in creating further synergies with potential partners in the UAE. “We are exploring the possibility of hosting Norway Chess tournament in the Middle East and potential partners are welcome to connect with us. We are also working to broadcast Norway Chess live to the fans in the Middle East,” he said.
In the Norway Chess Open category, leading the list of participants is Rinat Jumbayev (KAZ), followed by strong contenders such as Gergely Kantor (HUN), Valentin Dragnev (AUT), Vitaly Kunin (GER), Norwegian Frode Urkedal (NOR), and Chinese grandmaster Jiner Zhu (CHN).
Expressing her excitement to participate in the Norway Chess Open 2025, Rouda said, “I am looking forward to the competition as I know Norway Chess is the strongest grooming ground for future chess superstars. When I first heard that I am getting invited for the Norway Chess Open, I could not believe it and I was so thrilled, I told my coach immediately – that I need to start preparing. This is the most prestigious tournament in the world and I am sure this experience will help me improve my game further.”
“I am also greatly looking forward to meet Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura, also some of the Indian players like the new World Champion Gukesh who will be participating in the Norway Chess 2025,” she added.
The Norway Chess Open features double rounds on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30, providing excellent opportunities for title norms in the top group. In the Grandmaster Group, which Rouda has been invited to participate, will have nine rounds, opportunity for title norms and a prize fund of €13,000.
Please see attached images from the event.
About Norway Chess 2025:
The Norway Chess Open is held simultaneously along with the marquee Norway Chess 2025 which will see a star-studded line-up featuring world no.1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Gukesh D (India), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Arjun Erigaisi (India), and Wei Yi (China) among the men while the Norway Chess Women will feature Ju Wenjun (China), Lei Tingjie (China), Humpy Koneru (India), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), Vaishali Rameshbabu (India), and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain).
Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women, feature the same format, same prize money, and take place in the same playing hall. Both tournaments follow a 6-player double round-robin format.
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