BHUBANESWAR: Parade, cultural shows and award function marked the 75th Capital Foundation Day, celebrations of which kicked off in the city with great fanfare on Thursday. Congratulating people of the city on the special occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Bhubaneswar has maintained its unique identity as a smart city by prioritising people’s convenience along with a green environment. “It is the joint efforts of all of us that will preserve the glory of Bhubaneswar and make it a more beautiful city,” he said.
Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukha who joined the Capital Foundation Day as the chief guest inaugurated the three-day long celebration. He received the guard of honour from participating troops during parade in the morning.
“Bhubaneswar, in the last 75 years, has excelled in many areas including art, culture, sports, education, health and tourism and emerged as a leading city in the country. The city also received the number one Smart City tag making all of us proud. Our endeavour should be to make the capital a more developed and progressive city in the years to come,” he said.
A cultural event organised at Utkal Mandap in the evening was inaugurated by I&PR and Forest and Environment Minister Pradip Kumar Amat who said under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Bhubaneswar will soon emerge as a leading social, cultural and economical hub of the country.
Mayor Sulochana Das urged people of Bhubaneswar to work towards keeping the city clean and green and urged everyone to join hands in development of the city to make it more livable and promote inclusiveness.
An award function was also organised to mark the occasion in which the Rajdhani Gourav Samman-2022 was given away to 13 individuals in different categories including teacher, doctor, nurse, sports, traffic service, sanitaton, start-up, art, industries, acting, social work and music.
The foundation day function organised jointly by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, I&PR department, Culture department and Capital Foundation Day Celebration Committee will continue till April 15.
Tourism and Culture Minister Aswini Kumar Patra, BMC Commisioner Vijay Amruta Kulange, Capital Foundation Day Celebration Committee president Pradosh Patnaik, vice president Pradyumna Mohanty, General Secretary Sanat Mishra also spoke.