Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday called upon the youths to take inspiration from the ideals and leadership of former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi and play greater role in nation building.
Paying tributes to the leader on his 70th birth anniversary, Patnaik said Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister at the age of 40 and provided a vision of new and modern India. He gave the country a headstart in IT sector while providing impetus to social sector investment on vital aspects of literacy, health, water and sanitation among others.
Rajiv Gandhi had particular love for Odisha and placed the development of KBK region in the focus of the Central Government’s policy. The turnaround in Kalahandi after Indravati project bears testimony to his contribution to the State. Patnaik said while Rajiv Gandhi’s vision on social uplift and human resources development were followed by the Central Government through special schemes like MNREGA, Sarva Siksha Yojana and NRHM among others, the social sector has been badly mismanaged in Odisha in the last decade.
Stating that the BJD Government has not been able to create jobs for the youths, the Congress leader said there is a flight of manpower from the State in search of better jobs.