The State Government has identified at least 7,000 acres of land in coastal districts for the ambitious Odisha Economic Corridor (OEC), said sources.

Industries Principal Secretary Hemant Sharma has informed Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Secretary Guru Prasad Mohapatrain in this regardSharma said the proposed OEC would generate Rs 20 trillion of manufacturing output and create 14 crore job opportunities by 2045.

The State Government has requested the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to go ahead with the required process for the OEC.

The OEC envisions Port-led industrial development and is expected to link manufacturing sector with national supply chain and enable the State to go beyond the goals set under Odisha Industrial Development Plan-2025, said officials.

The National Highway-16 and major airports and seaports would play a vital role in strengthening the corridor.

The OEC covering 100 km on either side of the NH 16 would come under 19 districts, which constitutes 63% of the State Area and 75% of its population.

These districts along with corridor comprise of 82% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), which is estimated to be Rs 6 lakh crore now,

The proposed corridor would boost various Union Government initiatives such as Sagarmala, Bharatmala, East Coast Economic Corridor Golden Quadrilateral and Make In India.

OEC covers Gopalpur, Paradip, Dhamra and Subarnrekah Ports and Biju Patnaik International Airport at Bhubaneswar, which are the prime gateways.

The corridor would connect the mineral-rich hinterland having 86% of coal reserves, 82% of iron reserves, 70% of bauxite reserves and 40% of natural gas reserve.

A two-tier institutional framework has been proposed for coherent corridor management, said a senior official of Industries Department.

Both State and national-level institutional framework would be in place for management of the corridor, said the official.