Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met young achiever Om Prakash Rath from Kendrapara and congratulated him for his insightful essay on women’s empowerment that earned special praise from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ episode aired last Sunday.
On this occasion, the Hon’ble Chief Minister felicitated him and extended his best wishes for a bright and successful future.
Om Prakash, a bright student from Ratadia Khandsahi panchayat in Kendrapara district, drew national attention when the Prime Minister highlighted his essay during the recent episode of Mann Ki Baat. The PM specially mentioned Rath among lakhs of participants for his thoughtful ideas on advancing women-led development and making women active agents of change rather than mere beneficiaries of schemes.
In his essay, Om Prakash raised critical issues such as child marriage, gender discrimination, and lack of grassroots-level education. He particularly referred to regions like Gandhamardan in Kalahandi, where early marriages continue to hinder girls’ education and progress, and strongly advocated for greater awareness, education, and self-reliance among women.
The only son of Ajay Kumar Rath, a government school teacher, and Nirupama Panda, an anganwadi worker, Om Prakash was largely brought up at his maternal home. Despite facing financial and logistical challenges, he remained focused on education and is currently pursuing his degree at Barajananda Memorial College under Derabish block.
During the meeting, Chief Minister Majhi congratulated Om Prakash for bringing pride to Odisha through his achievement and wished him a bright and successful future. The young student expressed his happiness over the recognition from the Prime Minister and the encouragement received from the Chief Minister.
