Bhubaneswar: The state government has decided not to celebrate Utkal Diwas (April 1) this year. The General Administration department has issued orders to Collectors in this regard, a senior official said here Tuesday.
Due to novel coronavirus pandemic, the 45-year-old tradition will be broken as the government has also instructed officials even not to hold any kind of event on this occasion.
Every year, the government had organised several functions starting from village to block level and district to state level to celebrate the foundation day of the state.
The day is celebrated in memory of the struggle that went into gaining a separate political identity for the state that was once part of Kalinga ruled by emperor Ashoka, and later by Kharavela, remembered as a conqueror and the champion of Jainism, before Mughals invaded and wrested it.
On April 1, 1936, Odisha became a separate province, after a long struggle of over three centuries. The formation of Orissa province under the British rule, separated from Bengal and Bihar, marked the beginning of a new journey for the state.