BHUBANESWAR: BJD president and leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said Odisha saw a new age of development and progress during his 24-year-long government.
Addressing the Odisha Day celebrations at Sankha Bhawan here, Naveen said it was during the BJD rule that Odia language received classical status, Odia University was established and new chairs were established for research on Odia language in different universities of the country.
Development of the birthplace of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das and Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das was started under his government, he said and called upon the people to take pride to be an Odia.
Stating that Odisha has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty from 70 per cent to 10 per cent during the last 24 years, the former chief minister said it is now moving ahead with a strong foundation and no one can stop its development. “Odisha has been at the forefront of development in various sectors including agriculture, investment, infrastructure, economy, sports, education, health and disaster management during the period,” he said.
Stating that Odisha will complete 100 years of its formation in 2036, the former chief minister said Biju Babu’s dream was to make it the number one state. He expressed hope that Biju Babu’s dream will be fulfilled with the cooperation and efforts of all.
Eminent linguist Debi Prasanna Patnaik, former minister of Jharkhand Dinesh Sarangi, poet Mini Sarangi and Everest climber Mamta Raut were felicitated by the BJD president for their contributions in their respective fields.
The BJD organised parallel functions in the district headquarters to celebrate Odisha Divas. Senior leaders and party MLAs were present in these functions.