By Our Correspondent
BHAWANIPATNA/BHUBANESWAR: From VK Pandian to Bobby Das to Pratap Deb to Sanjay Dasburma , to Capt Dibya Mishra to Veteran Bhupinder Singh, all were seen busy and happy with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while turning former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi’s poverty stricken Kalahandi, in Odisha’s western Parts, into bright field of development with human face and public participation, what was dream of late Biju Patnaik.
Patnaik dedicated a slew of projects worth more than Rs.2000 crore.“Kalahandi is not the laboratory of poverty, but it is the model of development,” said the CM in a meeting. In his one day visit to Kalahandi today the CM inaugurated a slew of projects. He inaugurated 54 projects while laid the foundation stones of 52 projects.
“On the occasion of Kalahandi visit, I paid my deepest tribute to the son of the soil Amar Martyr Rando mother. Some people wanted to test Kalahandi for poverty. Picture of Kalahandi changed after 2000 Today Kalahandi has become a model of development for the whole country.#KalahandiJuhar, Naveen Patnaik while unfurling series of developmental projects in the district.
“Kalahandi is leading in the field of agriculture today. Season facility has increased by 3 times. The clown of the clown has become a chain handi today. Today Kalahandi alone is giving more results than 10 states are giving to the general distribution system of the country,” he said.
“Indrabati river has more contribution in this transformation of Kalahandi. In the bodies of the people of Thaka, his water is flowing as blood. A grand temple, museum and garden will be constructed here to honor the contribution of Maa Indrabati. This museum will tell the story of the transformation of Kalahandi to the whole world.All our brothers and sisters will go to that museum, he will go to the temple. Will take a pledge, will not let even the drop of Indrabati get destroyed. He will be fully invested in the development of Kalahandi. For future generations, the water of Indrabati will be protected. I have this faith,” he added.
On this occasion Patnaik narrated about relation between Biju Patnaik and Kalahandi while addressing the people in a meeting held at Mangalpur in Jaypatna block.
He said that in the nineties when Biju Babu was the CM of Odisha, some boys had pelted stones on him in Bhawanipatna when he was in a visit to Kalahandi.
When I asked about it, Biju Babu said that the residents of this district love him and vice versa. He excused the boys who had pelted stones and said that he will put 10 times effort of the blood that he shed in this soil.
After becoming the CM in 2000, when I got a chance to serve mother Odisha I recalled his words which inspired me to work for the development of Kalahandi. Over the years Kalahandi has achieved many things, Patnaik said.
Admiring agricultural achievement of the district Naveen said that the geography of hunger has transformed now into a rice bowl. Kalahandi is second in the top list of rice producing districts in the state. Besides, it is also supplying rice to the PDS system of the country. This has become possible due to the hard effort of the people of this district.
Irrigation facility in the district has improved three fold. Besides, Kalahandi has become the ‘Best Performing district’ for the achievement in the field of health and nutrition.
Patnaik also said that in 2000 the child death rate of Kalahandi was 76 per thousand while the maternity death rate was 432 per thousand. However, due to the different programes by the State government the rate has considerably reduced.
The CM gave all credits of development to Indravati River. Hence, a museum and garden will be made. A temple will also be built in this garden. The museum will narrate the tale of development of Kalahandi, he said. The inaugurated projects and the projects for which the foundation stones were laid today include lift irrigation projects, Food Parks, new electric feeder lines, a new bus stand in Bhawanipatna, roads and bridges.
