NEW DELHI Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal has announced a Rs 1 lakh crore investment drive in Odisha, covering aluminium, mining, refining and downstream manufacturing, with projects planned over the next two-and-a-half to three years. The announcement followed Agarwal’s meeting with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday. Agarwal said the group was ready to expand industrial activity and employment, while seeking faster land allocation and government clearances. He said work could move ahead immediately if government cooperation continued. The proposed investments are expected to support new industrial capacity, strengthen existing operations and create opportunities across related sectors. Vedanta is considering another refinery in Raigarh and a smelter, besides advancing bauxite and aluminium production and expanding its existing operations in Jharsuguda. Agarwal said the group was considering a 2 million-tonne plant in Jharsuguda, with around 500 acres of land being made available alongside its existing power plant. The expansion could generate at least 50,000 jobs directly and indirectly. Agarwal also called for greater development of aluminium-based industries in Odisha, saying the state could attract small and medium enterprises making components for automobiles, aviation, railways and transport. Vedanta would provide power and aluminium to such industries, while prioritising employment for local people. Alongside industrial expansion, Agarwal proposed social infrastructure projects, including a large hospital for tribal communities, a digital university and a research-oriented hospital. He said the research facility could work towards developing medicines for major diseases such as cancer. Agarwal said the broader objective was to accelerate Odisha’s industrialisation, expand opportunities for tribal communities, create employment across the state and build stronger industrial ecosystems over the coming years while supporting broader manufacturing and local economic activity in Odisha.