TFP Bureau, New Delhi, August 21, 2026:Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday presented the state\u2019s emerging economic landscape and investment opportunities at the two-day World Leaders Forum in New Delhi, outlining a development strategy focused on youth, innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and advanced industries.<\/p>\n
Addressing global business and economic leaders, Sai said Chhattisgarh was gradually moving beyond its traditional resource-driven economic identity and building a new growth model centred on artificial intelligence, start-ups, green energy, advanced manufacturing and technology.<\/p>\n
He said the government\u2019s objective was not merely to attract investment but to convert investments into employment, entrepreneurship, higher incomes and better opportunities for the state\u2019s youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cChhattisgarh\u2019s youth should not remain merely job seekers; they should become job creators,\u201d the Chief Minister said, highlighting entrepreneurship and innovation as key pillars of the state\u2019s future economic strategy.<\/p>\n
The forum brought together prominent national and international figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.<\/p>\n
Chhattisgarh economy grows at 11.57%<\/strong><\/p>\n Highlighting the state\u2019s economic performance, Sai said Chhattisgarh\u2019s economy had reached approximately \u20b96.31 lakh crore in 2025-26, registering a growth rate of 11.57 percent. Per capita income increased to \u20b91,79,244.<\/p>\n He said the state government was simultaneously focusing on economic expansion and social welfare to ensure that the benefits of growth reached all sections of society.<\/p>\n The \u20b91.72 lakh crore budget for 2026-27 gives priority to infrastructure, capital expenditure and welfare initiatives. The state is also expanding road, rail, power, digital and industrial infrastructure to strengthen its position as an investment destination.<\/p>\n Over \u20b98 lakh crore investment proposals received<\/strong><\/p>\n Sai said the Industrial Development Policy 2024-30, One Click Single Window System 2.0 and other ease-of-doing-business reforms had simplified investment procedures and made them more transparent and time-bound.<\/p>\n More than 450 procedures have been simplified over the past two years, he said, adding that the state had received investment proposals worth more than \u20b98 lakh crore since the launch of the new industrial policy.<\/p>\n While steel, cement and mineral-based industries continue to form an important part of the state\u2019s industrial base, Chhattisgarh is now targeting emerging sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, AI, data centres, pharmaceuticals, textiles, logistics, green energy and food processing.<\/p>\n 5,000 start-ups targeted by 2030<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chief Minister said youth entrepreneurship was at the centre of the state\u2019s emerging economic strategy. Chhattisgarh has set a target of establishing 5,000 start-ups by 2030.<\/p>\n Under the state\u2019s start-up initiatives, new entrepreneurs can receive seed-fund assistance of up to \u20b910 lakh to convert innovative ideas into viable enterprises.<\/p>\n Sai said a stronger start-up ecosystem would help create businesses as well as generate employment opportunities across local communities.<\/p>\n AI training planned for six lakh students<\/strong><\/p>\n Artificial intelligence is being positioned as a major driver of Chhattisgarh\u2019s future economy. The state plans to provide AI training to six lakh students and 1.5 lakh government employees.<\/p>\n The government also intends to develop more than 50 AI-enabled public services to make governance faster, more efficient and citizen-centric.<\/p>\n A \u20b9500 crore State AI Mission is being implemented, under which 100 AI data labs and five Centres of Excellence are planned. The state also aims to support more than 300 AI start-ups.<\/p>\n An AI Data Centre Park involving an investment of around \u20b91,000 crore is being developed in Nava Raipur, which is expected to strengthen the state\u2019s position in the emerging digital economy.<\/p>\n Bastar emerging as new growth centre<\/strong><\/p>\n Sai highlighted the transformation underway in Bastar, saying improvements in the security situation had opened new opportunities for development, tourism, investment and employment.<\/p>\n A \u20b94,824 crore Livelihood Enhancement Plan is being prepared to increase the incomes of around 10 lakh families in Bastar and other parts of the state.<\/p>\n The Chief Minister said 421 previously closed schools had been reopened in Bastar, while digital health profiles had been created for more than 34 lakh people.<\/p>\n The \u20b93,513 crore Jagdalpur-Raoghat railway project, he said, would significantly improve Bastar\u2019s connectivity and provide new opportunities for industrial and commercial development.<\/p>\n Tourism, local products to generate employment<\/strong><\/p>\n Sai said Chhattisgarh\u2019s natural landscapes, tribal heritage and cultural diversity offered considerable tourism potential. Destinations such as Chitrakote, Tirathgarh, Kanger Valley and Sirpur are being promoted along with Bastar\u2019s rich tribal traditions.<\/p>\n The decision to accord industry status to tourism is expected to encourage private investment and create employment in hospitality, transport, handicrafts and allied sectors.<\/p>\n The state is also promoting processing and value addition of minor forest produce, medicinal plants, millets and agricultural products to ensure that local communities receive a greater share of the economic value.<\/p>\n Green energy gets a major push<\/strong><\/p>\n Chhattisgarh, already one of the major energy-producing states, is now expanding its focus on renewable energy.<\/p>\n The state aims to add around 4,000 MW of solar power capacity in the coming years. More than 90,000 households have already been connected to solar power, while the state\u2019s first floating solar power plant has been established in Bhilai.<\/p>\n Sai said the expansion of renewable energy would support future energy requirements while opening up opportunities for investment and green employment.<\/p>\n Focus shifts from raw materials to value addition<\/strong><\/p>\n The Chief Minister said Chhattisgarh\u2019s new economic strategy was focused on adding value to its natural resources within the state rather than limiting economic activity to extraction.<\/p>\n Electronics manufacturing infrastructure is being developed in Nava Raipur and Rajnandgaon. A proposed space manufacturing cluster in Rajnandgaon, a 142-acre pharmaceutical park and textile and ready-made garment parks are expected to contribute to the state\u2019s next phase of industrialisation.<\/p>\n The discovery of lithium in Korba has also opened possibilities for battery manufacturing, energy storage and other new-energy industries.<\/p>\n Ease of Doing Business Act to simplify investment<\/strong><\/p>\n Sai said the Chhattisgarh Ease of Doing Business Act, 2026, had been enacted to simplify industrial procedures and make approvals more transparent and time-bound.<\/p>\n For low-risk industries, the legislation provides for automatic approval if a decision is not taken within the prescribed period. The framework covers 43 services across eight departments and is expected to benefit around 15 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises.<\/p>\n The Chief Minister said the objective was to reduce procedural delays and enable investors to focus on establishing businesses, expanding operations and creating employment.<\/p>\n Chhattisgarh invites global investors<\/strong><\/p>\n Presenting Chhattisgarh before the global investment community, Sai said the state offered a combination of abundant natural resources, energy availability, land, a young workforce, improving connectivity, modern infrastructure and investor-friendly policies.<\/p>\n He said the next phase of Chhattisgarh\u2019s development would seek to move the state from a predominantly resource-based economy towards one driven increasingly by knowledge, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestment is a means to transformation, not the final objective,\u201d Sai said, emphasising that the ultimate goal was to create better employment, entrepreneurship and income opportunities for the state\u2019s young population.<\/p>\n The event was attended by R. Krishna Das, Adviser to the Chief Minister; Subodh Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister; P. Dayanand and Rahul Bhagat, Secretaries to the Chief Minister; Rajat Bansal, Special Secretary and Commissioner, Public Relations; Shruti Singh, Resident Commissioner; and other senior officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai pitches Chhattisgarh as an emerging hub for AI, start-ups, advanced manufacturing and green energy; state targets 5,000 start-ups and AI training for six lakh students<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,244,118,27,117],"tags":[1498],"class_list":["post-9327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-cg-mantralaya","category-chhattishgarh","category-national","category-state","tag-world-leaders-forum"],"yoast_head":"\n