We believe in work and our work reflects the aspiration of 4.5 crore people of Odisha:Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar:28/10/17: India Today as part of their preparations for the Civil Service. Today as you receive the best district awards from this reputed magazine I am sure, you will feel more motivated to work harder for the people of our State; Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik began his speech with this before addressing the gathering at the India Today Conclave.

I am happy to be here at the India Today Conclave on “The State of the State”. I am thankful to the India Today for conducting an independent and in-depth analysis of development across various districts in our State, the Chief Minister said

The analysis has taken away points which will be of great use to us.

Further, it recognizes the positive developments that have happened in the State across various sectors and promote healthy competition among districts motivating them to perform better. We have come a long way from the year 2000, he added.

From being a State known for mismanagement of natural disasters to setting a global benchmark in disaster management, Odisha has definitely moved forward.

And the unique character of this move has been inclusion and empowerment, he further added.

A record 8 million people have been moved out of poverty. Five million women are the part of mission shakti movement leading to social and financial empowerment. We are the leading State in proving land rights to our tribal population. Our growth rate is higher than the national figures. Our social sector interventions are the model for the entire country. We are one of the leading States in attracting investments. Our capital city Bhubaneswar topped the smart city challenge, Naveen pointed out in his speech.

In certain sectors, Odisha has set the national benchmark. My cherished dream is to make Odisha the No 1 state in the country in every sector. We believe in work and our work reflects the aspiration of 4.5 crore people of Odisha, he said the gathering.