Bhubaneswar: Panchayati Raj Divas is being celebrated throughout the state to mark the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik on Saturday.
A brave and a revolutionary leader, Biju Patnaik was born to Laxminarayan and Ashalata Patnaik on March 5, 1916, at Cuttack in Odisha. After passing out with a degree in Aeronautics from the Aeronautical Training Institute of India, Biju babu started his career with the Indian National Airways.
He was imprisoned in 1945 for taking part in the Quit India Movement. Later, Biju babu also played a prominent role in the Nepalese democratic movement and Indonesia’s struggle for freedom from the Dutch rule. For his exemplary contribution to the Indonesian freedom struggle, he was conferred with the highest civilian award in Indonesia titled ‘Bhumi Putra’.
Biju Babu served as the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1961 to 1963 and again from 1990 to 1995. He passed away on April 17, 1997, in New Delhi. At present, his son and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) supremo Naveen Patnaik is the Chief Minister of Odisha.
