By Our Correspondent
ANGUL: Sambalpur MP and former Union Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has called for making skill, scale and quality the foundation for the overall progress of Angul district and connecting the local youth with the modern economy.
While participating in the inauguration and foundation stone laying program of development projects organized at Angul Kadam Podia, he said that Angul can be developed as a model and prosperous economic center if the infrastructure in the district is strengthened, agriculture is modernized and local youth are provided employment opportunities by equipping them with new skills. He said that the young players will benefit from the provision of floodlights and a new player pavilion at Kadam Podia.
Shri Pradhan further said that Angul district today plays a major role in the industrial and energy sectors of the country with over 100 million tonnes of coal production, 10,000 MW of electricity generation and 20 million tonnes of iron ore production. Mining, which started in Talcher 100 years ago, has been making a huge contribution to the economy of our country. Before 2014, these mineral-rich areas were generating huge revenue, but the local citizens were suffering from dust, smoke and pollution. But after the formation of the District Minerals Foundation (DMF) under the ‘Mines and Minerals Amendment Act’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, a large part of the mineral revenue is being invested in local education, health, sanitation, drinking water and infrastructure development.
Shri Pradhan said that the double engine government is spending Rs 5,000 crores on the ‘Developed India’ scheme for rural development and empowerment of Gram Panchayats in Odisha. We have to prioritize skills, scale and quality and develop the district as a new economic hub. On the issue of equipping the youth with new skills and enabling them to find employment, making mothers self-reliant and modernizing agriculture, Shri Pradhan said that there is a lot of potential here. As Odisha celebrates 100 years of its formation in 2036 and the country celebrates its centenary of independence in 2047, Shri Pradhan has called for Angul to be developed as a model district in education, security and economy in the next 20 years under the ‘double engine’ government. On this occasion, Shri Pradhan recalled the immortal deeds of late Prithvi Mohan Pradhan, Raja Somnath Singh Jagdeb and Baji Rout for the development of Dhenkanal and Angul.
Dhenkanal MP Rudra Narayan Pani, Angul MLA Pratap Chandra Pradhan, Pallahara MLA Ashok Mohanty, Chendipada MLA Agasti Behera were prominently present at the ceremony. At the end of the program, Shri Angul thanked the district administration, the district cricket association and other organizations that have been cooperating in the development work.
