By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: “I dedicate this award to the 4.5 crore people of Odisha who have been continuously blessing me to serve them for the past 22 years. The faith they have in me is the biggest inspiration to work towards an Empowered Odisha. Odisha has come a long way in the last 22 years. After the super-cyclone of 1999 who would have thought that Odisha will set global benchmarks in disaster management and get awarded by the United Nations,” Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after receiving Capital Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in New Delhi on Sunday.
‘Odisha known for ‘poverty’ is now known for the fastest ‘poverty reduction’ in our country.Our Governance model rooted in the empowerment of women * Misson Sakti* is something which we are truly proud of.Similarly empowerment of tribal communities has always been close to my heart and Odisha leads the country in providing land rights under the Forest Dwellers Act. More than half a million tribal girls study in our hostels.Farmers have always been the backbone of our state and their hardwork has fetched the state the Krishi Karman award four times. Odisha is the only state to have doubled farmer’s incomes,” he said.
Odisha produces the maximum Steel and Aluminium for the country. I should mention here that Odisha increasing her steel production by nearly 10 times in the last 2 decades has helped the country during the Covid crisis. Odisha supplied life saving oxygen to 17 states during the Covid pandemic. In the manufacturing sector, Odisha attracts the maximum investment in the country, he said.
Odisha is set to host the Hockey World Cup twice in a row and has set up high performance centres in various sports, Odisha the sports capital of India has set standards for other states to follow. Skilled in Odisha is a brand which not just Odisha but the country is proud of.
Land rights for slum dwellers in urban areas made global urban planners rethink and have a serious look at our model of empowering slum dwellers, he added.
“Our path breaking health initiative ‘Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana’ provides near universal health assurance to more than 80% of people of Odisha. Our 5T principles and MO Sarakar initiatives have strengthened peoples faith in professional governance with a humane face.
While I humbly accept this Lifetime Achievement Award , my lifetime’s achievement will be to see an Empowered and Spirited Odisha claiming her place_ in the Sun. We are on the right path and by Lord Jagannath’s grace and the support of our people we shall get there soon. I once again thank Capital Foundation for bestowing this great honour on Odisha and her people,” he said.
‘Capital Foundation over the years has evolved and established itself as an important space for open debate, and discussions on various areas of public policy, democratic governance and reforms in various sectors that impact policy makers.For more than three decades now the Foundation has provided a platform for various opinion makers to voice their views freely thus contributing to overall governance. I feel honoured that I have been chosen for the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Capital Foundation.I thank Hon’ble Justice Ramana for presenting this award and my special thanks to Justice Patnaik for actively contributing to the growth of this forum. On behalf of all the awardees, I would like to thank the Foundation for recognizing and appreciating the goodwork happening in various sectors,’ he added.
