Bhubaneswar: On the auspicious occasion of India’s 78th Independence Day, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi extended best wishes to every Indian living in the state, country and across the globe.
In his keynote address at the state-level Independence Day celebrations here today, the Odisha CM said: “I extend my deepest respect to the great freedom fighters like Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, Veer Savarkar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Dr Rajendra Prasad.
In the freedom movement, the leaders of Odisha showed great sacrifice and struggle and included the state in the mainstream of the national movement. Remembering the endless sacrifices of great people like Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das, Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Naba Krushna Choudhury, Gopbandhu Chowdhury, Saheed Laxman Nayak, Veer Surendra Sai, Madho Singh, Chakara Bishoi, Rendo Majhi, Mother Ramadevi, Mother Malati Choudhuri, Dr. Harekrushna Mahatab, Biju Patnaik and Parbati Giri, I pay my respects to them.
The Paika Rebellion of Odisha was a unique chapter in the history of the country. The movement that took place in Odisha in 1877, 40 years before the Sepoy Mutiny, is a golden chapter in the history of our freedom struggle. On this occasion, I pay my respects and tributes to the great patriots and valiant warriors like Baksi Jagbandhu and Jayi Rajguru, the heroes of the Paika Rebellion.
I also pay tribute to the brave soldiers of the defence forces and the immortal jawans of the security forces who died for the peace and security of the country. India’s freedom struggle is a unique chapter in the history of the entire world. Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s call for struggle shook the foundations of the English regime. It is because of their struggles and sacrifices that today we have gained reputation in the world as citizens of an independent country. Today is the day to re-commit us to the progress of the country by taking inspiration from the lives of our great freedom fighters.
77 years have passed since the independence. The country is now passing through Amrit Kaal. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is now gaining a global reputation as the fastest-growing country in the world. Today, the country’s economy has reached about four trillion dollars. Under Modiji’s leadership, India will reach a five trillion-dollar economy in a few years.
Just within ten years, India became the fifth largest economy in the world developing from the 11th position. We will soon be among the top three economies in the world.
We have also achieved great success in counterterrorism and anti-Naxalism. The whole world today expects and respects India’s leadership in various fields. On the occasion of the centenary of India’s independence, by 2047 we will surely be among the leading nations of the world and will surely fulfill the goal of making India a world leader.
Today is a very important day for our Odisha. Today, Odisha has embarked on a path of change. The people of Odisha have left the path of propaganda and chosen the path of self-development. By rejecting the spiritless movement, they accepted the path of Pride.
We have fulfilled many promises in the first 60 days, like opening the four doors of Srimandir and the Ratna Bhandar, creating funds for the Odia Asmita, preparing the administration to conduct official work in the Odia language etc.
The economic development of our farmers and the overall development of women is our primary aim. Our government has decided to fulfill these two promises within 100 days of governance. Funds have been statutorily allocated for this in the budget. Rs 3,100 per quintal of paddy is the highest MSP in the country. In the Subhadra Yojana, funds have been allocated to provide women with Rs 50,000 assistance. The scheme is scheduled to be launched in the presence of Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modiji on 17th September on the occasion of his birthday.
These two important initiatives of will active the rural economy of Odisha and lead us on the path of development. If the rural economy prospers, the entire Odisha will prosper.
Our aim is not only farmers and women, but overall improvement of all sections of the society. Therefore, we are taking steps to implement the PESA Act for collective development of tribal districts. Proposals for various schemes will be taken up through Grama Sabhas to drive the engine of development from the grassroots level, which will strengthen the Panchayatiraj system and play a major role in building a developed Odisha in the days to come. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Guru Mantra of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Biswas, Sabka Prayas’ for the country. Initiated by this mantra, we are committed to serve the people of Odisha by including everyone.
We have launched programs to achieve these goals – education, health, industrialisation, employment, skill development and welfare of the poor. The state government has taken steps to fill up one and a half lakh vacant government posts. Along with that, in the next 5 years, a wide range of employment opportunities will be created for the youth of Odisha.
In order to make healthcare easily accessible to all in the state, the state government has launched the Gopbandhu Jan Arogya Yojana along with the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, whereby no deserving person will be deprived of quality healthcare.
We have set 3 major milestones in our development journey -2029, 2036 and 2047. Hon’ble Prime Minister aims to make India a developed India by 2047.
We have to lead the development of Odisha and enrich the economy of Odisha by 2036 in the vastness of developed India. We have only one goal in mind and consciousness. That is, to fulfill the goal of a developed Odisha and create immense opportunities for the four and a half crore people of Odisha.
For this we have launched many schemes and programmes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying a lot of emphasis on ‘Purbodaya’. Odisha will play a major role as the first coach in the development of the railways of the country. So there is no doubt that the double engine model of development will accelerate Odisha’s progress. Our aim is to develop Odisha as a gateway to East and South East Asia. That is why we are preparing a program for the development of the port and port-based industries by investing the 480 km long beach.
For this, infrastructure such as roads, railways, industrial areas, power grid etc. will be extensively developed. Recently, the Ministry of Railways has approved 6 major railway projects for Odisha. I am very grateful to the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister for this. These six projects will connect several tribal-dominated districts of South and North Odisha by rail, paving the way for inclusion in the development path.
Along with this, the Government of India has approved a multifaceted project worth Rs 21,650 crore for the construction and improvement of the new National Highway in Odisha. Apart from this, a proposal has been made to the Government of India for the construction of highways worth more than 50 thousand crore rupees. Development of Blue Economy through development of coastal and water resources of Odisha is also one of our goals.
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constitute about 40 percent of our population. Their development is absolutely necessary for the overall development of Odisha. That’s why we have launched many plans. We have set a program to develop 500 tribal villages. Under the PM Janman Yojna, the tribes under PVTG category will be provided development facilities. Through the ‘Mukhyamantri Janajati Jeevika Mission’, a wide range of employment and livelihood opportunities will be created in tribal-dominated districts. Dropout rate is high among tribal students due to various reasons. Keeping this in mind, the state government has launched the ‘Madho Singh Haata Kharcha Yojana”. This will eliminate the problem of dropping out of school among them.
Youth is the future of the country. That is why it is very important to provide appropriate training to them. We have adopted skill development programs as per the demands of modern industry. For this, we have taken steps to establish ‘Kousal Bhawan’ in different parts of the state.
Development of youths is impossible without the development of sports. The Indian hockey team has won the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics and brought glory to the country. Once again, I congratulate the Indian men’s hockey team on today’s auspicious day. The entire Odisha is proud of Amit Rohidas, the Odia player of the hockey team today.
For the development of sports in the state, it has been decided to build a new multipurpose stadium covering an area of 120 acres at a cost of 1000 crore rupees. It has Indoor Velodrome, Mountain Biking, Swimming Pool, Football Ground, Archery Arena, Badminton Court and Fitness Park, in which players as well as general public can practice. Along with this, we are going to build national level stadiums for the development of sports in every district.
It has been decided to extend Odisha’s sponsorship of the Indian hockey team till 2036. In addition, we have decided to launch ‘Khel Ratna Khoja Abhiyan’ to promote talented sportspersons of the state. Agnibir Yojana is a revolutionary step in the field of security of the country. This scheme has an important role in making the youth of the country competent, courageous and competent. That is why the state government has decided to give up to 10 percent reservation in all uniform services of the state to the firemen of Odisha who are not inducted into the army after their tenure.
Through all these plans of ours, a new trend of development will be created at every level of Odisha. We have set a goal to reach a $500 billion economy by 2036 and a $1.5 trillion economy by 2047. To achieve this goal, there will be massive industrial development in the state, in which the Semi Conductor industry will play a major role. The next two decades will be a golden chapter in the history of Odisha.
Therefore, we are preparing two vision documents, one for 2036 and another for 2047. It will be prepared based on the opinion of the people of Odisha. For this, we are developing a web portal. I call upon the general public, intellectuals and experts of Odisha to give their opinion. You will shape the development of Odisha. And you alone can achieve this goal with your strong will and hard work.
The beginning of that golden chapter should be written within these 5 years. We are determined to make the most of every minute, every second that the people of the state have given us. Our government strongly believes in democracy and the democratic process. In a democracy, the common people are the most important. All plans, all policies of the government must be directed towards the protection of the interests of the common people. That is why, every week, our government is listening to people’s grievances and solving their problems. As you all know, the Emergency of 1975 is a dark chapter in the history of independent India. To show our respect to the patriots who were jailed under the MISA Act, our government will provide pensions, free health care and free bus passes.
Let’s work together to achieve all our dreams and goals, to serve Mother India and for the overall development of Odisha.”, the Chief Minister concluded.
