Odisha govt firm on satisfying people's aspiration : Patnaik

Amidst the walkout byOpposition BJP and Congress members, Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik Saturday assured the Assembly that his government isfirmly on the path to create a new and empowered Odishawhich will satisfy the aspiration of the people.

Patnaik was speaking during the discussion on themotion of thanks on the governors address on the first day ofthe budget session of the Assembly.

Patnaik physically attended the first day of thesession. He, however, addressed the House through the virtualmode when the Opposition and BJP members walked out of theHouse as part of their ongoing protest against thegovernment's alleged failure to procure paddy from farmersacross the state.

Without commenting on the issue for which theproceedings of the House has been paralysed for threeconsecutive days, Patnaik said We are firmly and determinedlyon a path to new and empowered Odisha which will satisfy theaspirations of the people and provide them opportunities todream big and realise their potential.

The chief minister highlighted his government'ssuccessfull management of the COVID-19 pandemic and urged thepeople to be on guard against the contagion which has made acomeback in certain states.

With the spike in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra andother parts of the country, I appeal to the people to strictlyfollow the wearing of masks, maintain social distancing andother guidelines, Patnaik said.

He praised the measures taken by the state governmentahead of the detection of the first COVID-19 case on March 15,2020. We were the first state to declare the situation as adisaster even before a single case was detected. We went forpreventive and targeted lockdown much before the nationallockdown''.

He said, ''We ensured strict enforcement of the COVIDprotocols across the state. To a large extent this helped usin slowing down the spread of the virus.

The hall mark of Odishas COVID management has beenthat from testing to treatment it was free for all, Patnaiksaid adding that this helped in early detection, isolation andtreatment of the positive cases.

This is the primary reason for the low mortality ratein the state compared to others. The community involvementfrom the beginning has also contributed significantly in theawareness campaigns and local level COVID management. Odishahas been praised as a model even by WHO and other reputedinstitutions for effectively tackling the pandemic, he said.

The immediate challenge for the state is to ensure therecovery of its economy, the chief minister said adding at thesame time adding that its revenue has increased by 7.3 percent compared to the rate of the corresponding period lastyear.

We are in a much better fiscal position compared tomany states in the country, he said.

The chief minister said that despite the pandemicOdisha has emerged as a leading investment destination withover Rs 1.2 lakh crore invested in the state in the last oneyear. It was also recognized as a top performer in respect ofstart-ups.

The government will building further on theseachievements in the coming years, he told the House.

In the backdrop of the opposition's shrill cry overfarmers' issues, particularly on alleged mismanagement inpaddy procurement, Patnaik said the state has implementedfarmer-centric schemes like KALIA, BALARAM. Odisha MilletMission has been recommended as a best model by NITI Ayog.

In the fisheries sector, Odisha has been awarded theBest Marine State. The state will continue to focus onsustainable agriculture and support to the farmers, he added.

The chief minister also hailed the achievement of thestate government from heritage conservation to pipe watersupply, irrigation, livelihood support to people,industrialization and others.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)