Naveen Patnaik: Brave New Odisha’s Beacon of Hope

4.5 Crore people of Odisha are my family. I will serve them till my last breath

Odisha’s most popular mass leader and longest serving Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today turned 73. On this occasion, The Newsroom.co.in wishes our beloved Chief Minister a good health, long life and many more years in service of the people of Odisha.

A statesman of unique caliber, decisive leader and an inspiration for all, Naveen Patnaik has been instrumental in ushering Odisha into a new era of transformation. His visionary leadership has steered Odisha on the path of sustained progress and scale new heights of glory in all aspects.

The most successful and popular Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen is adored by millions, for his crystal clear image, corruption-free and transparent government for nearly two decades. Through his sheer commitment to the cause of the masses, he has won minds and hearts of the people and enjoys unparalleled support and affection of the populace.

A staunch crusader of socio-economic development, his pro-people and development-oriented policies have made Odisha one of the fastest growing states in the country.

Ruling the state for nearly two decades, Naveen maintains a very low profile in public life and continues to lead a life of austerity donning white kurta-pyjamas and a pair of chappals. He displays an aura of quiet, confidence and strength. The constant electoral successes have only made him more humble and even more reticent.

Naveen’s Entry Marks a New Era in Odishan Politics

I had inherited my father’s responsibilities, not privileges. One of the members of his family had to continue his legacy of social responsibility

Odisha had witnessed tumults in its political history between 1995 and 2000 at the height of growing political instability and rampant corruption. Three chief ministers ruled the State in less than five years. The situation further worsened when the deadly super cycle hit the state in 1999. The cyclone had nearly devastated the state’s economy and made the people helpless. The situation went out of control due to lack of a strong political leadership. At this critical juncture, a member of Biju Patnaik’s family came forward to change the destiny of the state. And the leader was Naveen Patnaik.

“I had inherited my father’s responsibilities, not privileges. One of the members of his family had to continue his legacy of social responsibility,” said Naveen Patnaik after stepping into Odisha politics following the death of his legendary father Biju Patnaik in 1997.

And after 20 years, the philosophy and dream of legendary Biju Patnaik is clearly visible at the grass root level. A latecomer in politics, Naveen Patnaik is now one of the longest serving chief ministers in India.

Naveen’s entry into politics had ended the political vacuum that had surfaced following the demise of the great legendary leader Biju Patnaik in 1997. People had high expectations on the new leader and Naveen was a novice in politics then. He, who never tasted the political waters, had shown strong determination to stand up to the challenge.

Realizing that only a regional party can protect the interests of the people and put the state on a growth trajectory, Patnaik founded the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in December 1997. The name epitomized the ideologies and visions of late Biju Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik devoted all his energy to strengthen the party.
The Patnaik-led BJD came to power in 2000 and has been ruling the state since then. Under his leadership, the party continues to attract several leaders and workers from rival camps.

People First Approach

“If you love your people, you do not see the post you hold merely a post, but as a means to serve the people. You do not see power mere a power, but as a means to transform the lives of people. Negative associates of politics — power, wealth and position dissolve — into nothingness before one’s love for the people. If you love your people, you don’t fight for elections. You fight for change and transformation. If you love your people…with every intent, every step, every action, every signature and with every breath… you will work for them,”

The single most factor that catapults popularity of Patnaik is his ‘people first’ approach in all Governmental sphere. This approach has not only helped him to become one of the longest-serving chief ministers in India, but also the ideal chief minister in the country.

“If you love your people, you do not see the post you hold merely a post, but as a means to serve the people. You do not see power mere a power, but as a means to transform the lives of people. Negative associates of politics — power, wealth and position dissolve — into nothingness before one’s love for the people. If you love your people, you don’t fight for elections. You fight for change and transformation. If you love your people…with every intent, every step, every action, every signature and with every breath… you will work for them,” Naveen Patnaik says.

He has been able to overcome all complications in public life by putting people at the core of his intentions, efforts, and initiatives.

When he was sworn in as the Chief Minister for the first time in 2000, the major challenge before him was to bring back smiles on the face of the poor and underprivileged in the backdrop of the devastating Super Cyclone of 1999 and the previous government’s large scale failure to deal with the situations.

The Patnaik government realized that the development of Odisha is not possible unless the downtrodden people are pulled out of the morass. The government rolled out a slew of growth-oriented programs for these sections. Adding to it, he also worked tirelessly for the infrastructure development of the state with construction of roads, bridges, and other relevant projects. He took major steps to announce pro-people polices with focus on poverty eradication. He also rolled out ‘Rice at Re 1’ scheme to ensure food security to the poor people and tackle starvation deaths, well before the Food Security Act.

Women Empowerment

“No household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women.”

Following his legendary father’s footsteps, Naveen works tirelessly for the socio-economic and political empowerment of women in Odisha. His government’s path-breaking initiatives like Mission Shakti, Mamata Yojana, girls’ education, loans at 1 per cent interest rate, hostels for 5 lakh tribal girls, provision of Rs. 7 lakh for women under its healthcare insurance scheme and land rights for women have been instrumental in improving the socio-economic status of millions of women in Odisha.
Besides, the initiatives like 50 per cent reservation for women in three-tier Panchayati Raj system and urban local body or giving 33 per cent of party tickets for women MP candidates are some of the defining moments in the history of women empowerment not only in Odisha but also in India.

Impressive Economic Growth

Taking the mantle to bring in a resilient Odisha, Naveen took over the leadership and his priority was to put in place a transparent and corruption free government. In the next few years he worked for the economic growth of the state by massive industrialization. It was followed by programs to alleviate poverty from the state that included subsidized rice to masses.

The economic growth of the state resulted in the improvement of state financials and the state was out of danger from being a bankrupt one. The problem of poverty and starvation deaths was controlled to a large extend after the government reduced the prices of food grains from Rs Two to One per Kilo. With this the state witnessed rapid growth in infrastructure development.

Odisha, which was once infamous for hunger, poverty, and starvation deaths, is now one of the most steadily growing states in India. Its economic growth rate is much higher than the national average. The State has recorded the highest drop in poverty rate with nearly 8 million people being lifted above the poverty line over the years. Odisha is the only state in the country to have doubled farmers’ income in the last decade. From a rice deficit State, Odisha is now the third largest contributor to the PDS system in the country.

Odisha is now fast emerging as the manufacturing hub of the East in India through its industry-friendly environment and policy framework.

While the women and child health became the priority for the government, it also took steps for development of education in the state. Some of the initiatives and programs of Naveen’s Government like“Ama Gaon Ama Bikash”,“Mamata”, “Aahaar” and “Kalia” not only became the benchmark for people oriented welfare programs, but also got appreciations from all around. Though the state was famous for some of the best players of Hockey, it had no proper infrastructure for the game. And today we can see a reversal of the situation. Odisha today nurtures Hockey like no other state of India. It has successfully organized the Hockey World Cup and is attracting many other international events. It is also not leaving behind other sports and games. It has become the sports Capital of India today.

5T Mantra for More Responsive Governance

We can now compare Naveen of the late nineties with today and find a little difference. His concern to work for the people and zero tolerance to corruption are still intact like it was in the beginning of his career. Naveen’s fifth term as the Chief Minister is an outcome of his continuous endeavour for development and the popularity he is gaining among the people of Odisha.

In his fifth term, Naveen has the Five Ts with him for the all-round development of the state. The 5-T program intends to bring in transformation through technology, transparency, timeliness and teamwork.

As part of this initiative, the state government has implemented the “Mo Sarkar” Program that intends to fix the accountability and bring in a change in the working culture of the service delivery process. Naveen’s “Zero Tolerance” to corruption has seen new vigor. In the last few days, the Odisha government has acted tough and taken action against officers who are found to be corrupt by dismissing them from the service. Some of the officers shown the doors include senior administrative officers who were found to be corrupt by the vigilance and were convicted by the courts. It shows that Naveen is in no mood to forgive the wrongdoing.

Odisha is the only state in India where the government has started a system of feedback for public services. The Chief Minister has been keen on changing the behavior of the officials towards common people. The focus should be now on empathetic solution of peoples’ problems. The political leadership has also been asked by Naveen to reach out to the people and solve the problems.

Mo Sarkar- Peoples’ Government

We have got very rare instances of successful government of the people, by the people and for the people. Now the time has come to show that the true leaders of the state are its citizens and no authority on them is acceptable. Naveen’s initiatives are a step closer to make it a reality that the people are the masters and persons with power cannot dictate the terms. Fighting all the hindrances, Naveen has been able to implement the path breaking initiatives to bring in a true transformation in Odisha. He has taken on himself to follow the principles of Mahatma Gandhi on non-violence and development of the people. The dedicated and active team of Naveen is doing its best to transform the state into one of the developed in India. Mo Sarkar aims at total transformation where people feel their dignity is restored.

Ideas of Democracy and Politics

“Twenty years ago I was a political novice. I would have never imagined that I will be standing here as one of the longest serving chief ministers of the country. Today, I can say with conviction, that politics is not complicated. Politics is the most powerful instrument to bring about change in the lives of people.”

According to Naveen, good governance and selfless public service are the pillars of democracy and there is no alternative to service of the people and humility in democracy.

While receiving the Ideal Chief Minister Award in 2018 in Pune, Naveen said, “Twenty years ago I was a political novice. I would have never imagined that I will be standing here as one of the longest serving chief ministers of the country. Today, I can say with conviction, that politics is not complicated. Politics is the most powerful instrument to bring about change in the lives of people.”

Transforming Puri into a world class heritage city

 Naveen took upon himself the responsibility to transform the holy city of Puri into a world class heritage city. To make it the best heritage city of India, Naveen made available all the resources required. His vision is now clearly visible on the ground with a spacious Badadanda welcoming the devotees of Lord Jagannath and the immense infrastructure facilities being created for pilgrims and people of Puri. The transformation of Puri into a world class city is on a mission mode and for Naveen it is a service of Lord Jagannath.

Conclusion

Always fit and fine, CM Naveen has been working relentlessly for the last 22 years for the betterment of the people and prosperity of the state.

Naveen Patnaik is a beacon of hope for the people of Odisha. He is a part of Odisha and Odisha is a part of him. His entry into Odisha politics proved to be the eternity of return. His quite dignity, super confidence and unquestionable affinity with masses makes him the true leader in letter and spirit.

This singular traveller transformed the destiny of four-and-a-half-crore co-travellers in an unimaginable way. Generations to come will look forward to such a golden age as a benchmark.