BHUBANESWAR: As the hectic activities in the BJD and BJP camps pointed towards an early election, chief minister Naveen Patnaik talked about Vision Odisha with state and district level officers through a video conference and asked them to take the state towards a modern, empowered and progressive New Odisha.
Stating that the old stereotypes of Odisha have been broken, Naveen Patnaik asked officials to take bold decisions keeping people in focus. "I will stand behind you. All your good work will be recognised and
rewarded," he said.
Exhorting the officials to provide adequate leadership to their teams where each member will work without fear, deliver the schemes and programmes without favour, CM Patnaik said, "Let team Odisha resolve to make it the best state to live in and create a new brand of development."
Naveen Patnaik said when he took office in 2000, Odisha was in the state of despair, a state in a hopelessly tough situation with endemic poverty, state finances in shambles, infrastructure in a pathetic situation and almost at the bottom in most of the socio-economic indicators.
"Through sheer team work, commitment and our pro-people policies, we have come a long way in the last 17 years," he said and added, "While the country has acknowledged what we have achieved in certain sectors, I fully understand that we need to do much more and put Odisha in a place where other states will look up to us."
Stating that the recognition of best administrator in the country is a reflection of team Odisha’s relentless hard work and dedication, Naveen Patnaik said, "It is not a mean achievement for a state which suffers from several natural disasters year after year with not much support from successive central governments."
CM Patnaik, however, said there are huge challenges and the focus on 3Ts-team work, transparency and technology is well tested to bring about transformation.