Odisha and its culture hold significance for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and showcasing the replica of the Konark Wheel in G-20 meet shows his love for the state’s art and culture, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
According to Jaishankar, the G2O was celebrated as a festival across the country and our intention was to showcase before the world, the rich culture and legacy of various states of India and to boost tourism.
The External Affairs Minister informed that the BJP government at the Centre has supported Odisha in developmental projects and such support will keep coming. But we have seen that some central schemes like the Ayushman Bharat have not been implemented here.
“Today, the need of the hour is a government in Odisha that will be a good partner of the Modi government and they have energy and commitment. I urge the people of Odisha to make the hands of Modi Ji stronger in Delhi and help achieve the target of 400 plus seats. We want a BJP government in Odisha so that it gets an opportunity to work closely and effectively with Modi Sarkar in Delhi,” said Jaishankar.
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According to Jaishankar, there has not been much development in Odisha and the manufacturing sector has not done well despite the state being rich in natural resources.
"The people of Odisha are talented and move out of the country for education and livelihood. When PM Modi came to power, the passport process was simplified. In Odisha, 20 passport seva kendras have been set up," he added.
“Today’s world is such that there would be some issues on foreign soil. It is PM Modi’s commitment that we took several measures to extend help to our citizens stranded in other countries. Last year, 86 people from Odisha stranded in Sudan were brought back and 20 from Israel. Odisha holds a special place in the heart of PM Modi,” said Jaishankar adding that Odisha has received central grants of Rs 18 lakh crore in the last 10 years.