Odisha: Naveen Patnaik woos tribals, inaugurates projects in President Droupadi Murmu's home district

Bhubaneswar/Baripada: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday inaugurated Subarnarekha and Deo irrigation projects during his hour-long visit to Mayurbhanj, the home district of President Droupadi Murmu and wooed tribals. He said several welfare schemes of the BJD government have been successful due to proper coordination with the tribal people. The state could make progress through education and employment schemes for the tribals, Patnaik said at the meeting. Tribals constitute 53 per cent of Mayurbhanj’s population. Patnaik’s whistle stop visit to Mayurbhanj is considered to be BJD’s strategy to counter BJP’s alleged attempt to take advantage from Murmu’s election to the highest constitutional post. The saffron party has been allegedly making all out efforts to take mileage from the presidential election and create an impression among the people of the state that Murmu, regarded as the ‘daughter of the soil’, could occupy the highest post due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJD too had fully backed Murmu. Mayurbhanj is considered a strong hold of BJP from where the saffron candidates had won in six of the nine assembly seats in the district apart from the Lok Sabha seat. However, the political equation changed during the rural poll when the people voted in favour of BJD and elected 56 of the district’s 59 zilla parishad seats. Patnaik in his speech said that tribal children have been successful in earning their name due to their talent, which has been made possible due to the state government’s different schemes for education, livelihood and skill development. He said the state government ‘5T’ initiative has made it possible for students in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district to avail world class education in their village schools. This change has come not just for the students alone, but for the district and the state as a whole, Patnaik said. Under the state government’s ‘5T’ initiative, the schools are reformed and facility of smart class rooms, library, laboratory, computer education and play ground are availed even by students in remote villages of the state. Extolling the art, culture and tribal tradition of Mayurbhanj district, Patnaik said I pay my respects to the land of Pandit Raghunath Murmu. This rich tradition has created a special identity for Mayurbhanj in the country. The daughter of the soil, Droupadi Murmu has further enriched the rich cultural heritage of Mayurbhanj. We are all proud for her. He also called upon the people to cooperate for the overall development of the district. Inaugurating the two irrigation projects, he said they will immensely benefit the farmers of Mayurbhanj and Balasore districts. Though Patnaik was present at the meeting, his pre-recorded speech was played through video at the meeting venue. The two irrigation projects can irrigate around 27,000 hectare agricultural land in the two districts. The Subarnarekha irrigation project, built at an expenditure of Rs 685 crore, can irrigate 17,121 hectare farm land in the two districts. Around 55,000 farmers will be benefitted by it. The Deo irrigation project, which cost Rs 823 crore, can irrigate 9,900 hectare agricultural land. Around two lakh people of 100 villages in Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts will be benefitted by it, officials said. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.