Naveen receives 'Ideal Chief Minister' award, dedicates to people of Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Politics is not complicated. Politics is the most powerful instrument to bring about change in the lives of people, said CM Naveen Patnaik while addressing a gathering after being conferred with the prestigious 'Ideal Chief Minister' award during the eighth Indian Students Parliament at Pune.

After receiving the award from former President of India Pratibha Patil at MIT World Peace University, Patnaik said good governance and selfless public service are the pillars of democracy.

Dedicating the award to four and a half crore people of Odisha, Patnaik advised the students to strengthen the democracy.

"The biggest challenge before all of us today and especially for my younger friends is –how to strengthen governance and instill public service-in turn strengthening democracy," he said.

In his address, he also highlighted his major achievements like leading the country in implementing rural housing programme, Tribal Development Council, anti-poverty schemes.

Calling upon the young students to love and serve people, Patnaik said, "If you love your people ... with every intent, every step, every action, every signature and with every breath, long after you have breathed your last, you will still continue to live in the hearts of people, like Mahatma Gandhi and Biju Babu."

"If you keep people at the forefront. It is not a political journey. It is a spiritual experience," he concluded.