Bhubaneswar: Asserting that none can stop the development of Odisha, BJD president Naveen Patnaik Tuesday called upon the people to identify themselves as ‘proud Odia.’
Patnaik said this while addressing a gathering at party headquarters, Sankha Bhawan, on the occasion of Utkala Dibasa, or Odisha Dibasa, held to mark the state’s formation day.
The party celebrated the day with patriotic songs, garlanding of photographs and statues of prominent persons who dedicated their lives to the formation of a separate Odisha on the basis of language.
Patnaik said Odisha’s formation was an important event in the country’s history. Odisha is the first state in the country to be created on linguistic basis, he added.
We are continuously making efforts to make Odisha a prosperous state. The period from 2000-2024 was a new era of Odisha’s development, Patnaik said, adding that the state is now playing an important role in the country’s development journey.
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He mentioned that Odia was recognised as a classical language during the last two decades, and an Odia University was established in the state. New chairs were established in various universities of the country for research on Odia language, he added.
Patnaik said during the last two decades, there was significant development in the state’s glory, particularly in the birthplaces of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Dash and Utkala Gourvav Madhusudan Das.
Poverty has been reduced from 70 per cent to 10 per cent. No one can stop the development of Odisha, Patnaik asserted.
Odisha will celebrate its centenary foundation day in 2036. The dream of the great legendary leader Biju Babu was to make Odisha the number 1 state in Asia. With everyone’s cooperation and effort, Biju Patnaik’s dreams could be realised.
On this occasion, Patnaik felicitated renowned linguist Padma Shri Dr. Devi Prasanna Patnaik, former Jharkhand minister Dr. Dinesh Sarangi, poet Dr. Mini Sarangi, and Everest winner Mamata Raut for their contributions. Also President Droupadi Murmu extended heartfelt greetings to the people of Odisha on the occasion of the state’s formation day.
PTI
