Bhubaneswar: People are not mere consumers, they are shareholders in development, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
“My government is consistently making efforts for Odisha’s development. But then development should not be limited to being merely an objective of the government. People are not merely consumers, they are shareholders in development,” said Patnaik addressing the State level Odisha Day or Utkala Dibasa celebrations through video conferencing organized by the I & PR department at the Jayadev Bhawan here today.
He said that for our real development we have to turn the development process into a peoples’ movement.
“I wish that our people should be shareholders in all the aspects of development. Our programmes like ‘Mo School’ and ‘Mo College’ are a special initiative in this direction,” he stated.
The Chief Minister informed that 5 lakh alumni have come forward to extend their support in the development of their schools.
“This is no small achievement. If we work in this fashion Odisha will certainly move forward,” he stated.
Patnaik while congratulating all Odias staying in Odisha and abroad on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa or Odisha Day said that it was for the sacrifice and struggles of stalwarts like Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Parala Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati, Khallikote Raja Bahadur Ram Chandra Mardharaj Deo, Pandit Godavarish Mishra, Fakir Mohan Senapati, and Gangadhar Meher.
He offered his tributes to those who made possible the dream of a separate State of Odisha.
He said that at that time Odisha had shown the way for the constitution of states on linguistic basis in the country.
The Chief Minister pointed out that now Odisha has become a model for others in the country by excelling in several fields like women empowerment, disaster management, organising international sports competitions and welfare programmes for the poor people and several others.
There has been visible development in the fields of agriculture, industry, education, health, and infrastructure, he added.
Patnaik reminded the people that now we are passing through an abnormal time.
“For over a year with your cooperation, we have successfully tackled Corona. But now there is an apprehension of the second wave. I, therefore, appeal all to adhere to Corona guidelines. I strongly believe that we will succeed in eliminating Corona,” he asserted.
