Bhubaneswar: Our ancestors dreamed of building a prosperous and self-reliant Odisha. We have been continuously striving to fulfill that dream. The period from 2000 to 2024 marks a new era of Odisha’s development.
On the occasion of Odisha Day (Utkal Dibasa), former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, stated this while addressing an event at Shankha Bhavan.
He mentioned that in the past 24 years, Odisha has made remarkable progress in poverty reduction, a key aspect of Biju Patnaik’s vision to make the state the number one in Asia. Today, Odisha plays a crucial role in the nation’s development journey. Odias are making the state proud at national and international levels. The Odia language has been granted classical status, and an Odia University has been established. New research chairs for the Odia language have been set up in various universities across the country. The development of the birthplaces of Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das and Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das has become a symbol of Odia pride.
As Odisha approaches the centenary of its formation as a separate state, Naveen Patnaik emphasized that the struggle for a separate Odisha was a significant event in Indian history, making Odisha the first state formed on the basis of language. He urged people to take pride in calling themselves Odia.
Highlighting the state’s progress under his leadership, Naveen Patnaik spoke about Odisha’s achievements in agriculture, investment, infrastructure, economy, sports, education, health, and disaster management over the last 24 years. The biggest success has been poverty reduction, with the poverty rate dropping from 70% to 10%. Today, Odisha is moving forward on a strong foundation, and nothing can stop its progress.
On this occasion, eminent linguist Padma Shri Dr. Devi Prasanna Pattnaik, former Jharkhand minister Dr. Dinesh Sarangi, poet Dr. Mini Sarangi, and Everest climber Mamata Raut were honored. The event, presided over by MLA Sushant Raut, was attended by senior leaders Debi Prasad Mishra, Ashok Panda, and Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das.
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