Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hoisted the National Flag in Bhubaneswar on the occasion of Independence Day today.
Addressing the gathering, Patnaik extended his greetings to the people of Odisha.
On this occasion, he invoked the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Utkal Gaurav Madhusudan Das, Nabakrishna Chaudhary, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Shaheed Laxman Naik, Shaheed Birsa Munda, Veer Surendra Sai, Buxi Jagabandhu, Maa Ramadevi. He also paid his tributes to the immortal jawans who have laid down their lives for the peace and security of the country.
He said, “India's freedom struggle ushered in a new era in the history of the world. This struggle was an inspiration for everyone. It was an inspiration for all. Today, India has succeeded in establishing itself as a major power. The successful launch of Chandrayaan 3 has cemented India’s place as an important nation in space research.”
“Odisha is transforming. It’s economy is growing. Poverty has decreased. Odisha has been receiving investments worth crores of rupees creating job opportunities for youths. Odisha government has decided to open banking outlets in 4,373 unbanked panchayats in the state,” he added.
“More than 4 lakh beneficiaries have been included in the Madhu Babu Pension Yojana. They will get pension under the scheme from today,” Patnaik said.
The CM described mothers as the face of development and said Mission Shakti has become the Engine of the transformation of mothers today. He said they have now reached the next level of development.
“We will train one lakh youths in the NUA scheme every year. Our aim is to develop a modern digital infrastructure base in every village besides protecting the Jagannath culture. For this, we have started the 'Aama Odisha Nabin Odisha' program by spending four thousand crore rupees,” he said.
Concluding his speech, Patnaik said, “Odisha is moving forward today with artists, youth and people from all walks of life. Development of all is real development. Let us work together to build a prosperous Odisha, a transformed Odisha.”