Former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair, on Wednesday called on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar and discussed strategies for the economic growth of the state.
The Odisha government on July 21 inked a memorandum of understanding with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), according to which, the TBI will provide free policy support and assistance in developing a comprehensive economic strategy for the state.
Patnaik appreciated the preliminary suggestions of TBI, and expected that the cooperation will help in ensuring a balanced industrial growth and resultant inclusive benefit to citizens, a release issued by the CMO said.
He thanked Blair for the support, while the former UK PM praised Patnaik for the state's success in various sectors.
The TBI will deploy resources for a period of 24 months. The project team will work under the direct guidance of TBI's leadership and its network of global experts. The team will also work in close collaboration with the Odisha government, the release said.
The project team will undertake a range of activities such as current state analysis, external benchmarking, roadmap design, capacity development, prioritisation of emerging industries and development of multi-modal transport logistics.
TBI's domains of expertise include governance, foreign policy, investments, infrastructure and cities, climate and energy, and human capital.
-With PTI Input
