Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas on Wednesday.

Both the leaders discussed the economic development and growth of Odisha and the future perspectives, according to a release from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

The Odisha government has inked an MoU with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) last Friday. As per this understanding, TBI will provide free policy support and assistance in developing a comprehensive economic strategy for Odisha. The TBI will deploy 4 resources for a period of 24 months. This project team will work under the direct guidance of TBI’s leadership and its network of global experts. The team will work in close collaboration with team Odisha team.

Founded by Tony Blair, TBI works in more than 50 countries to help governments turn ideas into reality. TBI’s domains of expertise include governance, foreign policy, investments, infrastructure and cities, climate and energy, and human capital.

According to the release, in Odisha, the project team will undertake a range of activities such as current-state analysis, external benchmarking, roadmap design, capacity development and effective communication of core reforms to enhance adoption. Prioritization of emerging industries and the development of multimodal transport logistics will be the main agenda to supercharge growth.

The chief minister appreciated the preliminary suggestions of TBI and expected this cooperation will help in securing balanced industrial growth and resultant inclusive benefit to citizens. Blair praised Naveen for the state’s success in different sectors.