Odisha CM inaugurates new Cognizant facility at Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated the new facility of Cognizant, one of the largest professional services company in the world.

Cognizant is a $ 19.4 billion, US-based multinational company recognised as one of the world’s leading IT services providers with a purpose to engineer modern businesses that improve everyday life. The company is part of NASDAQ-100 and employs more 350,000 professionals worldwide.

Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Chief Minister said, “The entry of Cognizant marks a significant milestone for new Odisha and further solidifies its reputation as a leading IT investment destination in the country. He said Odisha has emerged as a “Destination of the Future” with growing scale of investment, talent pool and ambition.All these factors have become the cornerstones of our State’s journey towards growth and development which is fuelled by a robust ecosystem encouraging entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and new age businesses.

Echoing similar sentiments Shri Tusharkanti Behera, Hon’ble Minister of State, Electronics & IT, Sports & Youth Services & Home added that,  under the leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik,  Bhubaneswar has become global hotspot for IT, ESDM & Consulting companies. With its visionary policies and vibrant ecosystem, Odisha has emerged as the undisputed leader in the IT domain, shaping the future of technology. The new centre of Cognizant shall create more opportunities for the State’s youth and drive the economy upwards.

Shri Manoj Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary, E&IT Department, Government of Odisha said, “The establishment of new centre of Cognizant in Bhubaneswar not only signifies their confidence in our State’s potential but also highlights the remarkable strides Odisha has made in attracting top industries to its burgeoning IT landscape.

“We are excited to begin our expansion to Tier II cities with the opening of a new centre in Bhubaneswar. The state of Odisha has an entrepreneurial spirit, renowned educational institutions, strong infrastructure, and promising talent,” said, Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant who is the first Odia CEO of any Fortune 200 company. While acknowledging the unwavering support by the Government, Shri Ravi Kumar extended his thanks and complimented for the unmatched speed and responsiveness of the Government of Odisha in facilitating the establishment of this centre.
The new centre of Cognizant in Bhubaneswar is spread over 52000 Sqft and is designed to accommodate 1000 of company’s associates in hybrid work environment and is located at Odisha Technology Centre. The new center is projected to be expanded further to accommodate 5000+ associates in span of two years.

The facility enables associates to work in modern and collaborative spaces on diverse areas, including AI, ML, IoT, Digital Engineering and robotic automation, among other advanced technologies. Cognizant will continue to offer its award-winning learning and development program to equip its associates with future-ready digital capabilities, helping them continually improve their capabilities to serve global clients.
It is pertinent to mention that, the Electronics and IT Department; Government of Odisha is making significant efforts to continuously attract major investments into the state in IT/ITES & ESDM sector. As a result, recently major IT/ITES/ESDM & global MNCs like IBM, PWC, Deloitte, Concentrix, Happiest Minds, Infosys BPM, Synopsys, E&Y have set up their Global Development & outsourcing Centres in the State.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. V.K. Pandian, Chairman 5T Initiatives & Nabin Odisha, Shri Tusharkanti Behera, Hon’ble Minister of State, Electronics & IT, Sports & Youth Services & Home, Shri Manoj Mishra, Principal Secretary, Electronics & IT Department, Shri Manas Panda, Special Secretary, Electronics & IT,Shri Ravi Kumar S, CEO, Cognizant, Rajesh Nambiar, CMD, Cognizant India along with senior leadership and associates of the company.

As Bhubaneswar continues to thrive as a hotspot for global IT services and consulting companies, Cognizant shall contribute immensely for creation of employment opportunities for the youths and act as a catalyst for overall growth of the IT Industry and economy of the State.