BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid rich tributes to secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra for his dedicated service to the nation to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his Mann Ki Baat address to the nation, the Prime Minister described the Gujarat-cadre IAS officer from Odisha, who passed away due to Covid-related complications a week back, as ‘Karma Yogi’.
Recalling the service Mohapatra rendered from his hospital bed, the Prime Minister said, “Guruprasadji was diagnosed with coronavirus. He was admitted to the hospital and yet at the same time, he was performing his official duties too. He toiled day and night to increase the oxygen producing capacities of the country and to ensure that oxygen reached far flung areas.”
Modi said Mohapatra without caring for his health conditions kept fighting on many fronts, the affairs of the court and the pressure of the media. He did not stop working during his illness. Even after being advised not to take work pressure, he used to insist on joining the video conferences on oxygen.