Bhubaneswar: Honouring the legacy of Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ahead of his 151st birth anniversary, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday flagged off a special train from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat.
The train is carrying around 1,000 representatives from 19 Naxal-free districts of the state to take part in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas National Parade to be held near the Statue of Unity on October 31. These representatives will represent Odisha as a symbol of peace, security and progress at the national-level parade.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister paid deep tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and said that with extraordinary leadership and firm determination, Sardar Patel integrated more than 550 princely states to form the present united India.
The Chief Minister said that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, Patel’s birth anniversary is being observed every year as ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ as a true tribute to him. He expressed confidence that this year’s Ekta Parade will reflect the picture of a completely Naxal-free India.
“Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and firm leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and with the efforts of the security forces, the country and Odisha have become completely Naxal-free and are moving fast on the path of development,” Majhi said.
He said highest priority is being given to infrastructure building along with social and economic development in the Naxal-affected areas. Especially in 10 affected districts, various welfare schemes are being taken to the actual beneficiaries in an integrated manner through the ‘Gramoday Plus’ scheme.
Joint efforts of 140 crore people of the country are continuing to realize the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, he added.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister also announced that the Central Government has approved a new Express train from Puri to Badampahad in Mayurbhanj. The service will be flagged off by President Droupadi Murmu in the first week of November. This train will strengthen connectivity among six districts Puri, Khordha, Kataka, Jajpur, Kendujhar and Mayurbhanj.
