New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated the Outlook India Speakout best administrator award to the 4.5 crore people of Odisha.
While presenting the award at a function in New Delhi, former President Pranab Mukherjee described the chief minister as the worthy son of a worthy father, recalling Biju Patnaik’s contribution in Independence and nation building. He also hailed the odisha government’s role in poverty reduction and job creation.
An online survey conducted by the Outlook India magazine placed Naveen along with five other chief ministers Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal), Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Manik Sarka`r (Tripura) and Siddaramaiah (Karnataka) in the nominations for the coveted award. However, he was picked as the Best Administrator in the country for his good work during floods and cyclones – Phailin and Hudhud — that devastated Odisha many times during his 17 years of rule.
CM @Naveen_Odisha receives @OutlookIndia Speakout Award at New Delhi https://t.co/bLZqJojEpv
— CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) August 18, 2017
“The 71-year-old Naveen Patnaik has been a chief minister for more than 17 years in Orissa, a feat accomplished by only a few leaders, such as Jyoti Basu, elsewhere in the country. Many attribute the success of the Biju Janata Dal president, son of former chief minister Biju Pattnaik, to his good work as an administrator. His handling of the situation arising out of the various cyclones are considered to be a copybook lesson in disaster management,” quoted Outlook.
After receiving the award, Naveens said, “It is indeed a proud moment for Odisha and Odias across the globe. I remember the day I took oath of office as Chief Minister of Odisha for the first time. It was the year 2001. The super cyclone had just caused huge devastation and loss of precious lives. Odisha ranked low on almost all socio-economic indicators and was burdened by poverty, debt and low growth rates. It was a difficult time. The blessings of Lord Jagannath and the faith of our people empowered us to work hard.”
The chief minister said his government picked Agriculture as one of the topmost priorities knowing that the majority of our people depended on it. “From a state doing subsistence agriculture – Odisha is today the third highest contributor to the PDS playing a major role in the food security of the country. We are the only state in the country to have doubled farmers’ incomes in the last decade. Focus on irrigation, timely provision of quality inputs and agricultural credit at low rates have been key,” he said.
Naveeen said though the journey has been a tough one, it was worth every minute of it. Eight million people have come out of poverty in the last decade with Odisha posting the sharpest drop in poverty nationwide- 24.61 percentage points, he said.
The chief minister also spoke about his government’s efforts to handle cyclones, IMR, women empowerment. “This is not the end. We still have a long way to go. We share a dream to make Odisha the Number One state in India and will work hard to honour your faith and make it a reality,” he added.
Taking to microblogging site Twitter, Naveen earlier wrote, “I look forward to attend @OutlookIndia ’s Speakout Awards today at #Delhi & interact with guests & dignitaries.”
I look forward to attend @OutlookIndia ’s Speakout Awards today at #Delhi & interact with guests & dignitaries https://t.co/iyTwNeurH6
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) August 18, 2017
Outlook had nominated the public figures and dignitaries for presenting the Outlook Speakout Awards under eight different categories including Best Socially Conscious Entrepreneur, Best Social Activist, Best Artist, Best Academician, Best Non-fiction Book/Author, Best Administrator, Best Journalist, Vinod Mehta Memorial Lifetime Achievement.
