Bhubaneswar: The BJP government in Odisha, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, is set to complete its first year in office with celebrations being planned on a grand scale. The period has been marked by some noteworthy achievements, some of which fulfilled its election promises.
Keen to project a pro-people image the chief minister has been laying special emphasis , personally overseeing grievance redressal. He has also conducted these hearings out of Bhubaneswar. During these hearings he has tackled a wide range of issues, including requests for medical aid, land and property disputes, pension delays, and public infrastructure concerns.
His approach stands in sharp contrast to his predecessor who had evinced little interest in redressing grievances of common people through hearings. Majhi has a more hands-on approach in the matter with hearings held even in Sambalpur, a key district in western Odisha. His government also introduced a single-window system under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, allowing for on-the-spot financial approvals for urgent medical cases. The government’s decision to hold hearings outside Bhubaneswar has also resulted in much needed decentralization and ensured accessibility which will go a long way in consolidating the government’s pro-people image.
Planning for celebrating the completion of one year of the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha in an impactful manner began months ahead of the landmark. High level meetings were held to discuss the nitty-gritty of celebrations. The focus was on showcasing the government’s achievements over the past year. The connected activities were planned to reflect the government’s dedication to development, transparency, good governance, and public welfare. All departments were asked to prepare sector-specific action plans and ensure maximum public participation in the activities.
The government has emphasized that in a short span of time, it has been able to fulfil its major promises such as opening of the four doors of the temple of Lord Jagannath, Rs 500 crore corpus fund for the temple, Subhadra Yojana for women and Rs 800 input assistance to farmers during paddy procurement. It also launched Antyodaya Gruha Yojana for the poor and destitute and then rolled out Ayushman Bharat which was blocked by the previous government for political reasons.
Upliftment of tribals has been achieved through a number of schemes along with that of the central government. The Majhi government floated a new scheme named Saheed Laxman Nayak Adarsh Ashram Vidyalaya Yojana to redevelop Ashram schools. It is also implementing many central schemes which can transform tribal life. Besides, it is opening Tribal Swabhiman Bhawan and Tribal Language & Culture Institute to promote the vibrant culture of tribal people. To address the dropout rate among tribal children, it has launched Madho Singh Haath Kharch Yojana, where it is giving tribal students Rs 5,000 each, benefiting over 2 lakh students.
Odisha has also turned into a major investment destination during this period. The Utkarsh Odisha-Make in Odisha Conclave held in January surpassed all previous records by attracting investment proposals to the tune of Rs 12.89 lakh crore. Investments have been received across various sectors. These investments are expected to generate over 8.94 lakh job opportunities, creating a significant socio-economic impact.
The government has created a dedicated team that is providing all necessary facilities to potential investors to set up units in the state. The chief minister has been personally interacting with investors with his team always ready to resolve issues, if any, at the highest level.
‘Odia Asmita’ has been the government’s core agenda. It has been taking a number of steps to preserve the state’s cultural identity including opening of four doors of the temple of Lord Jagannath, Rs 500 crore corpus fund for the temple, construction of Odia Asmita Bhawan, museum for palm leaf manuscripts, establishing memorials for Odia heroes, and many others. For the first time, it celebrated Utkal Divas at the birthplace of Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das. From Utkal Divas to Odia New Year and Odia pakshya (fortnight) was celebrated because all this is linked to Odia Asmita.
Massive investments in infrastructure, development of Paradip as a petrochemical hub with support from IOCL, huge investments in metals and mining sector aim at spurring economic growth Odisha has seen never before. Despite leading the metals and mining sector, the government is keen on diversification of investments in sectors such as petrochemicals, textiles, food processing, IT, tourism and others. The agreements with IOCL, ISPRL, Petronet LNG entail an investment of about Rs 1 lakh crore and expected to generate nearly 70,000 jobs. It will strengthen Odisha’s strategic role in the petrochemical sector. Besides, some of the leading IT companies are opening their centres in Bhubaneswar. The government expects the creation of over 50,000 jobs in the IT sector in the next 5 years. In the textiles and apparel sector, it has received investment offers of over Rs 7,700 crore which can create over 88,000 direct and indirect jobs.
During the last one year the government has filled up over 25,000 vacancies and targets to fill over one lakh government posts in coming years. Besides, setting up industries the government will create huge job opportunities. It is also encouraging rural women to take up small businesses through schemes like Subhadra and other interest subvention schemes for SHGs. Under the Lakhpati Didi scheme, Odisha has outperformed other states in terms of target with a success rate of about 90%. The chief minister is confident that rural poverty and unemployment will soon be a thing of the past.
On the political front the BJP seems to be going from strength to strength leaving its rival Biju Janata Dal (BJD) far behind. This is because chief minister Mohan Majhi has been proactive in his approach and always leads from the front. Having been a grassroots worker and leader he knows the problems at the ground level and goes the extra mile to resolve them. Few other leaders in the past have displayed this quality.
