BHUBANESWAR: Education holds key to collective progress and development, opined chairman and managing director of Eastern Media Limited Soumya Ranjan Patnaik.
Addressing the Nachiketa Annual Lecture Series 2026 here on Saturday, Patnaik said collective progress has been witnessed wherever education has developed, and wherever the future generation has received appropriate training, comprehensive development has been strengthened.
“From proper utilisation of natural resources to development of agriculture, industry, entrepreneurship and tourism, and from expansion of technological capabilities to enrichment of heritage and culture, progress in every sphere depends fundamentally on a strong and quality education system,” Patnaik underlined.
Noted chartered accountant and independent director in the Board of Directors of Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC), Purnendu Kar, delivered the lecture and stressed that development of agriculture must be the first step towards development of the state.
He proposed that farmers should have the right to determine the price of their produce. “Appropriate market mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that farmers receive fair returns and benefit adequately from their produce,” Kar said.
He also pointed out that over the past three years, states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana and Karnataka have been able to attract foreign investment of USD 58.38 million, USD 21.25 million, USD 95.60 million, USD 171.96 million, USD 452.11 million, USD 165.69 million and USD 498.7 million respectively in the agro-food processing industry, while Odisha has received only USD 0.06 million in investment.
“This is comparatively negligible,” he said, adding that the development of agro-food processing industry in the state could be regarded as a fundamental solution to the problem of income instability faced by farmers.
Kar further suggested that young people give entrepreneurship as much importance and priority as they give to government jobs and employment opportunities abroad. The current startup culture, he said, is a great example of this changing mindset.
Resident Editor of The New Indian Express Siba Mohanty said greater emphasis should be placed on developing the infrastructure and technological capabilities required for establishing advanced industries in the state.
Executive Editor of the daily Pragativadi, Birupaksha Tripathy stressed conservation of natural resources, increasing rural incomes, creating investment opportunities and promoting balanced regional growth.
Nachiketa Foundation Trust head Gaurahari Das urged all to come forward and work towards strengthening the future of the state.
