BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday said his government is going to fulfil the dreams of legendary leader and former chief minister Biju Patnaik for a prosperous Odisha by 2036.
Addressing a state-level function to celebrate the 109th birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik at Jayadev Bhavan, the chief minister described Biju Babu as a pathbreaker who continues to inspire the BJP government in the state.
“There is no difference between Biju Babu’s dreams and the programmes of our government. Biju Babu had envisioned a prosperous Odisha. Our government has initiated efforts to achieve the goal by 2036,” Majhi said. The chief minister said Biju Patnaik’s vision for the state’s industrialisation, a robust panchayati raj system and women’s empowerment was unique. The BJP government is following his footsteps and working to fulfil his dream of women’s empowerment by providing financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each under Subhadra Yojana.
However, Majhi took a dig at the Opposition BJD without naming the party saying, “Those who were giving lip service to fulfil Biju Babu’s dreams have failed miserably. We are doing everything that is required for the all-round development of the state right from the villages to the top and will do so in the coming days as well. We have already announced to spend Rs 10,000 crore in the next five years to achieve a Viksit Gaon Viksit Odisha.”
The chief minister said that the state government has already received investment proposals worth Rs 17 lakh crore in the recent Utkarsh Odisha: Make-in-Odisha conclave. The efforts to enrich Odisha industrially will be further strengthened and industries will be established in every district in the coming days, he said.
Expressing his displeasure over the vandalisation of Biju Babu’s statue, he said the state government has taken prompt action and three people have been arrested.
The chief minister announced that the ‘Kalinga Football Cup’ started by Biju Patnaik will be reintroduced and the UNESCO Kalinga Prize established by the veteran leader will continue. Majhi inaugurated a photo exhibition on the life of Biju Patnaik on this occasion.