While comparing present-day Odisha with how it was 22 years ago at an event organised by a leading media organisation in New Delhi yesterday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said governance cannot take giant leaps without teamwork – the kind of teamwork where all parts of the government must be aligned to a common goal of transforming the state. And therefore, he explained, his administration also follows the “whole of government” approach during crisis situations. That means, whether it be cyclones or the coronavirus pandemic, the entire government machinery gets involved in a well-coordinated manner to tackle the challenge facing the state.
A good example of that approach was seen as recently as last Tuesday when the Patnaik administration immediately suspended schools and anganwadi centres across the state after a mind-boggling heatwave began engulfing the state, with the mercury shooting past 40 degrees Celcius in Bhubaneswar and many other towns.
Within a day, classroom teaching at all higher education institutions under the jurisdiction of the Higher Education Department of Odisha was also suspended. However, as the letter issued that day by Higher Education Department principal secretary Saswat Mishra stated, teaching and non-teaching employees were asked to be present at their respective institutions on these days so that activities such as examination, evaluation, administrative work and research work, among others, could continue as usual.
These steps were taken despite the fact that the state government had declared earlier about a much-shorter-than-usual summer vacation – from June 1 until June 16 – for schools, colleges and public universities to compensate for the academic days lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This ever-evolving flexibility has been key to Odisha’s global renown in management of natural calamities and other crises.
The success of the Patnaik government in aligning all resources at its disposal to a shared objective of transforming the state is visible on diverse fronts – from heritage to environment to animal health.
Take, for instance, the government’s decision last week to set aside Rs 100 crore for the development of the Nilamadhaba temple at Kantilo in Nayagarh district. The amount will be used for the renovation of the temple, the improvement of surrounding roads, plantation of trees, gardening, parking, beautification of the Mahanadi river bank and, most importantly, for ensuring that devotees – especially the differently-abled ones – can have a smooth darshan. If things go to plan, the Nilamadhaba temple and its premises will see a sea change – just like Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri has in the past few years what with the Puri Heritage Corridor Project – that will further bump up Odisha’s national profile in the cultural heritage stakes.
The recent announcement about the animal overpass on a railway track in Dhenkanal district’s Kapilash Wildlife Sanctuary has been widely applauded by environmentalists. Being one of the only two animal overpasses in the country, this 100-metre-long pathway is solely aimed at protection of wildlife. After all, train accidents have been a leading cause of elephant deaths in Odisha.
Also lauded was the establishment of the state’s first privately run veterinary hospital for stray animals and birds. Developed by the Institute of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry at Shanpur and located on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, the hospital was inaugurated by Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Empowerment and Animal Resources Arun Kumar Sahu yesterday.
The five-time Chief Minister noted during his keynote address at the event in the national capital yesterday that Odisha has been the fastest developing state in the country thanks to its 5T model of governance, involving transparency, technology, team work, time and transformation. Thanks to 5T secretary VK Pandian, who has ensured the on-ground and all-round implementation of this exemplary mode of governance, Odisha is now able to provide the right environment for all kinds of positive developments. Things that can get it ready for more giant leaps.
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