UN Resident Coordinator in India Praises Odisha Govt’s Efforts in Disaster Management, Food Security and 5T Governance

Bhubaneswar: Shombi Sharp, the UN Resident Coordinator in India, who was on a visit to Odisha, met the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas and discussed Odisha’s development path and the partnership with UN agencies. He mentioned the long fruitful partnership of the UN agencies with the Odisha Government.

He praised the efforts of the Odisha government in improving the Human development indicators. Sharp appreciated the role of Odisha Government in disaster management.

Odisha is one of the most disaster prone states in the country and was devastated by Super Cyclone in 1999. But after the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik came to power, he prioritised disaster management and strengthened the community-led systems across the state. Today, Odisha is recognised as a leading state in managing disasters. The UN felicitated Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in 2013 for handling the Cyclone Phailin. in 2019, New York Times carried a front page article on Odisha’s handling of the Cyclone Fani and asked nations to learn from Odisha.

Sharp hailed the achievements of Odisha in food security. He mentioned about Odisha’s Millet Mission and how Odisha has shown the way for India and even the World. 2023 was declared by UN as the International Year of the Millets.

Odisha was ranked No 1 in the implementation of the National Food Security Act. The State which was earlier known for starvation cases has now emerged as a major food surplus state and one of the top contributors towards food grain procurement at national level. Due to the pro-poor policies of the Naveen Patnaik, Odisha has a wide food security network to ensure the people are getting sufficient nutritious food. Odisha even runs the Aahar centers across the state, where the cooked food is served at Rs 5. Odisha was the pioneer state in advocating and supporting the local millets which are the staple food of the local communities. These environmentally sustainable efforts have been emulated at the national and international level. Odisha’s Millet Mission has received accolades from across the globe for its innovative and inclusive initiatives. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was invited to the World Food Program (WFP) Head Quarters in 2022 to share the experience of Odisha in Food Security.

Sharp also discussed 5T Governance and its impact on the state. Since 2019, the principles of 5T – Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time, Transformation – have been the guiding force for the fast track governance of the State. The 5T Governance framework has created a transformative impact across the state and fastened the growth path of Odisha.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik thanked Shombi Sharp for his visit to Odisha.

The Chief Minister said that Odisha will continue to partner with the UN agencies across various sectors to bring the best of practices from across the world to the State.