BHUBANESWAR: In Surat, the city in Gujarat where more than seven lakh Odias reside, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said non-violence should find a place in the Preamble of the Constitution.
“Bapuji was an apostle of non-violence. It would be a fitting tribute to Bapuji on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary if non-violence finds a place in the Preamble of the Constitution,” the Chief Minister said while addressing more than one lakh Odias during the Odisha Mahotsav.
Stating that non-violence is linked to peace and peace to development, the Chief Minister said development has now become the identity of Odisha. Odisha is now known outside for the efficiency of its people and its art and culture, Naveen said and added that Odisha is now forging ahead in all spheres with confidence.
“More than seven lakh people from Odisha staying in Surat of Gujarat are ambassadors of Odisha’s culture and traditions. Look forward to meet them at OdishaMahotsavInSurat,” Naveen had tweeted. The Chief Minister’s visit to Surat has come in for criticism from opposition Congress and BJP leaders who have described it as a move to woo the Odias ahead of the 2019 Assembly elections in Odisha.Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said many Odias live in Surat and have contributed to the development of Gujarat and Odisha.
Referring to the demands of the Odia people, Naveen said steps will be taken to open a Plus Two college in Surat soon. Besides, the State Government will find out a way so that Odia students can appear in Matriculation examination under Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha from Surat, he said and added that the Odisha Government will provide text books to Odia students.
Naveen announced a provision of `10 crore for a cultural centre for Odia people in Surat for which he has written a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for land. “Besides, I have requested the Centre to introduce direct train between Surat and Berhampur and direct flight between Bhubaneswar and Surat,” he said.
Stating that steps have been taken so that Odias residing anywhere in the country can benefit from the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, the Chief Minister said the scheme does not differentiate between APL and BPL and is applicable to all Odias. “You can also take benefit from the scheme from Surat,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister visited Sri Satyasai Heart Hospital at Ahmedabad during his day-long visit to Gujarat and met Odia children undergoing treatment there. Around 150 children are being treated for heart ailment free of cost at the hospital. During his visit, he gave away discharge certificates to 36 children. He interacted with them and also met the doctors treating the little ones.
The Odisha Government had signed an MoU with the hospital for free treatment of Odia children suffering from cardiac problem and needing surgical intervention. “More than seven lakh people from #Odisha staying in Surat area of Gujarat, are ambassadors of #Odisha’s culture and traditions. Look forward to meet them at #OdishaMahotsavInSurat,” Naveen tweeted.
Ahead of his visit, the Chief Minister had written letters to Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, demanding flight connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Surat and introduction of two new trains from Berhampur to Surat.