Odisha CM Likely To Leave For Delhi Again, 2nd Trip In Fortnight

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is scheduled to leave for Delhi again on a four-day visit from August 5, reliable sources informed on Friday.

The CM is expected to attend the meeting of National Committee on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, which will be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Ministers and Governors of different states, and the seventh NITI Ayog’s Governing Council Meeting on August 7, before returning to the state the following day.

This will be his second trip to Delhi in a fortnight. He returned to Bhubaneswar on July 26 after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Droupadi Murmu as the 15th President of India. He also met a few Union Ministers also to discuss pending vital state issues during the four-day visit to the national capital.

On Thursday, Naveen met NITI Aayog vice-chairperson Suman Bery and member Dr Vinod K Paul here and put forth a four-point charter of demands before NITI Aayog, which included expansion of railway infrastructure, banking facilities in rural pockets and telecommunication services in remote areas. He stressed that fulfilment of these was vital for the growth of the state.

He justified the special status demand by pointing out that Odisha gets affected by natural calamities like floods and cyclones almost every year.