BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday asserted that the people of Odisha will create a new record in the political history of this country in a few months, adding that the next 10 years will be decisive for the state’s future.
In the last cabinet meeting of his fifth tenure, Naveen said, "We will herald an empowered Odisha, which is modern, dynamic and responsive, primarily for our youth, women and children, entrepreneurs, farmers and tribals. We will usher in an Odisha with secure roots and powerful wings."
The chief minister said that the future of Odisha is bright. He further mentioned that the state is going to celebrate the 100th year of its formation in 2036 and by then all efforts are on to make it the number one in the country in every field.
"The coming decade will be the decade of the youth. The entire focus will be towards providing the best of educational and employment opportunities to aspiring youths and empowering them to achieve their dreams. The youth of the state will build New Odisha - a state which will set benchmarks in every sector and bring prosperity to its people," he said.
Naveen, who is seeking his sixth consecutive term in office, listed out the achievements of his government. He said when he took office as Odisha's CM, the state was devastated by the Super Cyclone and looked down upon as a poor underdeveloped state.
"There were humongous challenges in bringing the state back on the track of development. But I was guided by the vision of Biju Babu to make a difference in the lives of my 4.5 crore family members. Today, Odisha is recognised as one of the most progressive states in the country and is cited as a model in various fields," he claimed.
The last five years have been based on the principles of 5T (Team work, Technology, Transparency and Time leading to Transformation.). History will remember this period as a milestone, which put Odisha on a firm path of transformation and prosperity for its people. Transformation is visible across the state and across every segment of the population. Team work through transparent governance and intense use of technology has been creating remarkable change within a short period of time, he maintained.
The CM recalled that even before he started this term in 2019, the state faced a rare summer cyclone, first in 43 years, cyclone Fani, which was an extremely severe cyclonic storm of category-5 with wind speeds of 280 kmph. This caused extensive damage to the nerve center of the state's economy including Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Thanks to the dedicated and diligent community-based disaster management systems, the state faced the cyclone courageously and the relief measures started immediately after the cyclone storm passed. Several global media even praised Odisha as a model in disaster management as the resilient people bounced back and within a few months there were no signs of the cyclone’s devastation, he said.
Describing the challenges during Covid-19 pandemic, Naveen said, unfortunately, in early 2020, the World was hit by the Covid pandemic and till 2022, the virus, in its multiple variants, had caused immense damage to economies across the globe. In spite of the unknown fear of the pandemic, Odisha was comparatively well prepared and emerged as a model in Covid management, as per a study by John Hopkins University.
"We not only ensured one of the lowest mortality rates in the country, but also saved millions of lives across India by supplying oxygen. We were the only state which provided free quality health care from testing to treatment for every citizen, in partnership with the private hospitals," he said.
As soon as the pandemic was brought under control, the chief minister said, the state government restarted its projects and schemes with extra pace. One of the main focus areas in this term has been education. Now, in every panchayat of the state, one can find a transformed High School with smart classrooms, e-libraries, science labs, computer centre and sports facilities.
"Probably, nowhere in the world such a large number of schools have been transformed in such a short time. As a next step, we have started the transformation of the colleges across the state. To inspire the youth to dream big and empower them to achieve, the Nua-O programme and scholarships have been launched. This is a revolutionary step which has never been attempted in the world at this scale. We are committed to make the innovative Nabin Odisha magic card as a passport to prosperity for our youth," he stressed.
To further empower the youth, the CM said, modern and latest skill initiatives from across the world are now incubated in Odisha. Skilled in Odisha is now a recognised brand. Swayam is a youth empowerment scheme to provide Rs 1 lakh loan at zero interest rate to the unemployed youth to start their entrepreneurship journey, he said.
Modern sports facilities are being set up across the state. The World's largest seated hockey stadium, created in 15 months, in Rourkela is a case study in project management. Odisha has become the sports capital of India.
In women’s empowerment, Naveen said, Mission Shakti members have set a unique example in the country. Fuelled by zero interest loans upto 10 lakh, SHGs are fast converting to SMEs in every sector. Around Rs 40,000 crore bank linkage has been provided to SHGs in the last five years with Rs 15,000 crore in this financial year alone. Mission Shakti Women are strong partners in the transformation story of Odisha, he said.
The chief minister further said, the state government has made significant strides in providing health care services in the state. The near universal coverage under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) has provided complete assurance for the poor and middle class to access quality medical services in top private hospitals in a dignified manner across the country. The health infrastructure has also undergone a massive transformation with modern hospitals and medical colleges. Odisha has now become a doctor surplus state which has improved the health services even in the remote areas, he said.
Odisha is the only state with an initiative called LABHA, which assures minimum support price for minor forest produce collected by tribals. This assures sustainable incomes in a dignified manner without harassment, he said.
To further protect tribal languages an initiative to have Multi lingual teaching in 21 tribal languages of Odisha was created and teacher posts filled up.
Connectivity has been the top priority of the government in the last five years. Laccmi buses have transformed rural connectivity especially for students and women and farmers. The state has direct flights to Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore now. Top class bus stations with citizen amenities have come up in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and other major towns. Biju Expressway has become a reality across the districts of Western Odisha. Once a remote district, Malkangiri has an airport now, the CM said.
Odisha is among the few states with the sharpest drop in multidimensional poverty in the last five years. The state is one of the fastest developing economies in the country. In spite of the large number of people oriented schemes, Odisha has been rated as the best in fiscal management, due to its prudent fiscal practices and major revenue generation efforts through transparent mineral auction process and increasing industrial growth. To ensure last mile connectivity, the AMA bank scheme has been initiated. As many as 4373 unbanked GPs of the state will be covered with AMA Banks to ensure financial inclusion to the last point. So far, 2750 AMA banks have been set up across the state, he said.
In industrial development and employment front, Naveen said, several major investments from companies like AMNS, Tata Steel, JSW are set to generate lakhs of employment. "We are diversifying into other sectors and even emerging as a major IT destination with the recent opening of offices by IBM, Cognizant, Accenture etc. Odisha will be the economic powerhouse of eastern India, as it has risen to No 2 position in attracting manufacturing investment in the country," he said.
The chief minister said transformation of heritage and religious places was another area of focus during last five years. While the Shree Mandir Parikrama project has been completed inspite of great challenges, thousands of Jagannath temples have been taken up across the state for preservation and creation of amenities for the devotees.
"Maa Samalei project has been a landmark project in Sambalpur. For promotion of Odia language , the Biswa Odia Bhasa Sammelini was held for the first time. Decisions that will help promote our language will be implemented. For preservation and promotion of our culture, all our important heritage centres have been taken up. Our identity is our strength and we shall continue to work for its preservation and promotion. With strengthening our roots, new Odisha will also firm up her wings to scale the horizon," he added.
