Saswat Singhdeo

Bhubaneswar: After the allocation of portfolios, the newly inducted ministers, both at the centre and here in Odisha, have been given stern deadlines by their taskmasters Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Naveen Patnaik, respectively.

Odisha CM Naveen recently directed all his ministers to submit monthly status report on the implementation of manifesto promises every month. It is considered as an important step towards better governance & also a challenge for ministers who face tough tasks. Especially for Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera, Ashok Chandra Panda (Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disability), Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari and Health Minister Naba Das, there are challenges galore.

Padmanabha Behera, who has already planned his task for the first month said, “On a priority basis, we will make a list of things to be done as per the election manifesto.”

The coming months will be crucial for Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari as he will be presenting a full-fledged budget.

Minister of Sports and Youth Services, Tusharkanti Behera, said that there will be no pressure on him and he will work for the people.

“I am a workaholic person and there is no boundary for me when it comes to work. I will ensure that work is done as promised by the party in the manifesto,” said Behera.

Amidst challenges like of lack of funds for Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana and shortage of doctors in hospitals, Health Minister Naba Das has to finalise the proposed convergence of the State scheme with Centre's Ayushman Bharat.

Similarly at the Centre, PM Modi has set a deadline of 100 days for his 58 ministers to prepare a roadmap. Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar are the ones who have their work cut out.

“We will ensure that public welfare work is done properly. This government is not about announcements, but about walking the talk,” said Pratap Sarangi, who was inducted as Minister of State for MSME in PM Modi's Council of Ministers.

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