There is a defining quality that separates great leaders from the good, average and bad ones. The great ones, deep inside, are never really satisfied with the work they do – no matter how good that might be. They seem to be perennially chasing perfection in their goals, just like great artists do with their works of art, and that pursuit of excellence manifests in some wonderful way or the other.
A few days ago, in view of the ruinous impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on the livelihoods of people across Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced his decision to waive the examination fees for all of the 6,00,000-plus students scheduled to take the annual state board exams from May 3 onwards this year. Costing the state exchequer Rs 27 crore, this move came as an added relief for the students after the BJD government had announced a 30% reduction in school syllabus in August last year.
But Patnaik, ever concerned about the welfare of students and youth of Odisha, wanted to do more. That became evident yesterday when the state’s School and Mass Education Minister, Samir Ranjan Dash, declared the government’s decision to distribute ‘Pariksha Darpan’ – a 700-page guidebook, complete with a comprehensive question-and-answer bank – among all matriculation students free of cost to help them prepare better for the first big exam of their lives.
While stating that the decision was part of an ongoing effort to compensate for the inconvenience that Covid-19 had caused students through months-long cancellation of physical classes, Dash also revealed that it was a consequence of the Chief Minister’s directives to the education department to take steps towards alleviating “the stress of students”.
Patnaik’s quest for constant improvement in governance has been equally conspicuous in the tourism sector.
His government had dedicated nearly 60 crores to eco-tourism for the 2016-21 period and allocated an impressive 190 crore for tourism development in the 2019-20 budget. However, in for the next financial year – after the state had suffered the devastating Cyclone Fani – the allocation was more than doubled, to a whopping Rs 400 crore, in a bid to give a much-needed second wind to the hard-hit tourism industry.
And now, while still fighting a global pandemic that led to a prolonged lockdown and multiple shutdowns, affected over 330,000 people and claimed over 1900 lives in Odisha so far, the Naveen Patnaik government has been busy laying the groundwork to make the state the top tourism destination in India, rivalling Rajasthan and Kerala.
Apart from a comprehensive promotion drive in which Odisha is pitched as “India’s Best Kept Secret” across all forms of media, the government has already shown – through its luxury, but temporary, eco-retreats in popular and high-potential tourist spots of Bhitarkanika, Daringbadi, Hirakud, Konark and Satkosia – how it plans to develop tourism in a smart, profitable and sustainable manner.
As part of the overall mission, small lodgings have been set up across Odisha – managed either by the forest department or the tribals – that are aimed at not only boosting tourism but also giving locals an alternative source of livelihood.
Only yesterday (January 22), the Odisha government finalised its “Konark Heritage Area Development” plan to bring infrastructure facilities in and around the magnificent Sun Temple up to international standards. Contrary to public fears for cancellation of the 15th edition of the Toshali National Crafts Mela this year, the Chief Minister yesterday inaugurated the popular handicrafts exhibition in which artisans, sculptors and weavers from across the country showcase and sell their products. However, he has made sure that the event is organised with strict adherence to Covid-19 precautionary guidelines.
The five-time Chief Minister’s healthy obsession with making Odisha better by the day perhaps best explains his enduring success as a great leader.
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