BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday presented an expansive account of his government’s achievements, highlighting welfare initiatives, accelerated industrialisation, job creation and unprecedented support from the Centre under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a public gathering attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on the occasion of two years completion of the BJP government in the state, Majhi described the occasion as a ‘golden moment’ in Odisha’s history. The presence of the country’s highest constitutional authorities on a single platform reflected the state’s growing importance, he said.
Majhi said the state had launched a series of flagship welfare programmes within a short period. These include the Subhadra Yojana for women, Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha Yojana, Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana, Krushak Samruddhi Yojana for farmers, Godabarisha Mishra Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalaya Yojana for school students, Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana for senior citizens and the implementation of Ayushman Bharat health coverage across the state.
The CM also highlighted the recent cabinet decision to provide free education from KG to PG, claiming Odisha could become the first state in the country to implement such a measure. He further pointed to the introduction of reservations for socially and educationally-backward classes in higher, technical and medical education.
Industrial growth emerged as a key pillar of the government’s narrative. Majhi said the state has so far inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for 152 industrial projects worth Rs 3.11 lakh crore, with the potential to generate around 2.5 lakh jobs. More than 44,000 government jobs have also been provided during the period, he added.
“Of our 30 districts, 29 are now witnessing industrial development. This is an inclusive industrialisation drive,” Majhi said, expressing confidence that Odisha will eventually witness reverse migration as employment opportunities expand within the state.
The chief minister credited much of the momentum to close cooperation with the Centre, citing major investments in railways, highways, ports, shipbuilding and petrochemicals. He said projects worth nearly Rs 50,000 crore launched on Saturday demonstrated the benefits of the double-engine government.
Majhi was particularly effusive in his praise for Prime Minister Modi. “There is a little bit of Modi in everyone’s life,” he remarked, stating that the prime minister’s welfare initiatives over the past 12 years had touched every section of society.
He also described Modi’s leadership as transformative, saying, “India’s time on the world stage has finally arrived,” and pledged that Odisha will work in step with the prime minister’s vision to achieve a ‘Prosperous Odisha by 2036’ and contribute to a ‘Developed India by 2047’.
