Bhubaneswar: The CAG Research Foundation Saturday hosted a state-level debate and discussion on the theme “Odisha: Rich in Resources, Poor in Outcomes, Who is Responsible? What Needs to Be Done?” at Gita Govinda Sadan here.
Several eminent personalities attended the event and shared their views, including former Union Minister Srikant Jena, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das, former ministers Prafulla Ghadai and Jayadev Jena, along with other dignitaries from diverse fields.
The essay competition drew 160 participants from 20 districts, with a majority of entries from female students, highlighting strong interest among young women in issues of governance and equity.
The meeting was presided over by CAG Research Foundation secretary Chidananda Jena and founding member Akshay Kumar Mallick, while the foundation’s founder, Ravi Rajan, delivered a thematic presentation.
Speakers unanimously noted that despite its rich natural and human resources, Odisha continues to lag in development due to weak political will, poor policy formulation and lack of sincere governance.
The gathering also resolved to take the debate to different parts of the state to broaden public discourse on these issues.
The programme also featured a prize distribution ceremony for an essay competition on the theme “Is Odisha Lagging Behind in Social Justice?”
PNN
