Former British PM Tony Blair Meets Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. He met the Chief Minister at his residence Naveen Niwas in the state capital.

Both the leaders discussed on the economic development and growth of Odisha and the future perspectives, according to a release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO.

It may be mentioned here that the Odisha government has inked an MoU with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) on July 21, 2023. As per this understanding, TBI will provide free policy support and assistance in developing a comprehensive economic strategy for Odisha.

The Chief Minister appreciated the preliminary suggestions of TBI, and expected this cooperation will help in securing a balanced industrial growth and resultant inclusive benefit to citizens. He thanked Blair for the support.
Tony Blair also praised the CM for the state’s success in different sectors. He appreciated the 5T initiative for bringing transformative changes in governance.

The TBI will deploy 4 resources for a period of 24 months. This project team will work under the direct guidance of TBI’s leadership and its network of global experts. It will work in close collaboration with team Odisha team.

Headquartered in London and founded in 2016, TBI is helmed by Tony Blair. TBI works in over 45 countries. TBI’s domains of expertise include governance, foreign policy, investments, infrastructure and cities, climate and energy, and human capital.

In Odisha, the project team will undertake a range of activities such as current-state analysis, external benchmarking, roadmap design, capacity development, effective communication of core reforms to enhance adoption. Prioritization of emerging industries, development of a multimodal transport logistics will be the main agenda to supercharge growth.