Berhampur: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik met representatives of panchayats at Tara Tarini temple during his visit to Ganjam district on Sunday.
Speaking on the occasion Naveen praised the dedicated service of panchayat representatives led by sarpanchs during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
During the peak pandemic when people from different states were returning to Ganjam, the sarpanchs were empowered with the powers of a district collector and asked to take decisions on matters relating to managing the situation.
The district set an example and earned praise for its management of COVID-19, said Naveen and added that the sarpanchs played a key role in this.
The CM honoured the sarpanchs and distributed ladoos as well as parsad of Maa Tara Tarini among them.
