On the final day of March this year, as the temperature breached 40 degrees Celsius in several parts of Odisha, Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Jena issued an order notifying that the state government had revoked provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 for Covid-19 containment measures. This came as a relief to many because it clearly signalled that, after two long years of pandemic pains and following a laundry list of official guidelines and orders to safely navigate through it all, the time had come to see the back of the dreadful coronavirus. And what better day than the eve of Utkal Diwas for this to have happened.
The following day, when Odisha celebrated its 86th anniversary as an independent state, came with even better news.
The poor people of the state were delighted to learn yesterday that the Naveen Patnaik government had extended the distribution of free rice to the beneficiaries covered under its State Food Security Scheme (SFSS) for another six months. With the Chief Minister having instructed officials concerned to continue distributing an additional 5 kg of rice per month free of cost to SFSS beneficiaries – all 8.09 lakh of them – until September this year, Odisha government will distribute 24,270 tonnes of rice from the State pool with an expenditure of Rs 91.70 crore from its own fund, as per a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.
This move will also ensure that SFSS beneficiaries remain on a par with those under National Food Security Act (NFSA), the CMO statement added.
There were positive developments reported from the industry sector of Odisha as well.
As JSPL chairman Naveen Jindal greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of Utkal Diwas, he announced that, after winning the Utkal B1 and B2 Coal Block, the steel giant has secured enough reserves of coal to enhance its capacity for green steelmaking (using clean coal technologies) and develop its Odisha plant into the largest and greenest facility in the world. This move will not only involve the tripling of JSPL’s investment in Odisha – from Rs 45,000 crore at present to more than Rs 1,25,000 crore – but also generate an unprecedented level of employment and economic activity in the state.
On the same day, Vedanta Aluminium – the largest producer of aluminium in India – commemorated the rich cultural heritage of Odisha and reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the ancient art form of Dhokra by supporting artisans from the Kankeri village, situated near its Alumina Refinery in Lanjigarh town of Kalahandi district.
There is no dearth of such wonderful and inspirational stories from Odisha these days.
Always keenly aware of what is happening around the country, Prime Minister Modi took the opportunity yesterday to hail the people of Odisha for their landmark contributions to India’s progress. Noting that Odia culture is admired across the world, he expressed hope that the state would reach greater heights in times to come.
With Odisha already enjoying an elevated status as a model state thanks to the efforts and vision of its five-time Chief Minister over the past 21 years, no wonder the world is looking to be more invested in it than ever.
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