Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister, Government of Odisha with Ranjana Chopra, Secretary, School & Mass Education Department along with the Award winning team of Government of Odisha

Odisha’s Lessons in Governance

Odisha had for long suffered the humiliation of being showcased as one of the poorest in the country. But today it has taken the centerstage in leading the nation by example, be it being the first city in the country to achieve clean drinking water from tap in the city of Puri or achieving hundred percent vaccination coverage against Covid-19 in Bhubaneshwar. Needless to mention, it won fullsome praise for its astute handling of both the first and the second waves of the Covid 19 by the internationally acclaimed Lancet journal. Adding to these champion acts, it recently garnered nationwide appreciation for sponsoring the Indian men and women hockey teams whose sterling performances at the Tokyo Olympics 2021 made every Indian proud. It is the first state in the country that has officially sponsored a game/ sport since 2018. What is even more laudable is the fact that when the national government or big corporates failed to sponsor them, Naveen Patnaik, heading a state government, stepped in. It was an eye-opener as to what genuine commitment and dedication can do to Indian sports.

Trajectory of Odisha’s Transformation Disaster Management

The Naveen Patnaik led government came to power in the state in 2000 post the devastating super-cyclone of 1999 which had ravaged the entire State. The newly elected government rose to the occasion and thus began the transformation of the State from being referred to as the ‘disaster capital’ of the country to getting two coastal villages as being ‘Tsunami Ready’ from the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, making India the first country in the Indian Ocean region to demonstrate such high levels of disaster preparedness at the community level. Today, Odisha, a state which has faced more than two dozen severe natural disasters during the last two decades, is known as the leader in natural disaster management by virtue of its immaculate preparedness, mitigation and reconstruction measures. It has also been applauded by the United Nations year after year for “strengthening disaster risk governance, investing in preparedness and scenario planning while spreading greater understanding of disaster risk.” In 2018, Odisha became the first state in India to set up the sophisticated Early Warning Disaster Dispose System.

If you love your people, you don’t fight for elections, you fight for change and transformation. If you work for the people, you will continue to live in the hearts of people like Mahatma Gandhi and Biju Babu. If you keep people at the forefront, it is not a political journey, it is a spiritual experience.”Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister

“If you love your people, you don’t fight for elections, you fight for change and transformation. If you work for the people, you will continue to live in the hearts of people like Mahatma Gandhi and Biju Babu. If you keep people at the forefront, it is not a political journey, it is a spiritual experience.”
Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister

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Recent SKOCH Awardees from Odisha