Bhubaneswar: The state government has been taking proactive steps towards transformation of all government departments and services through its 5T and Mo Sarkar initiatives, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said here, Saturday. People are able to feel the difference in quality and efficiency of service delivery as reflected in Mo Sarkar feedback, he added.
Participating in the discussion on motion of thanks on Governor’s address through videoconferencing, Naveen said, “In spite of Covid related restrictions and constraints, our government has been able to launch various online services and transformative initiatives across the departments.”
Elaborating the steps taken by his government for Covid-19 management, the Chief Minister said, “Our Government, with great foresight, has taken several proactive steps right from the beginning to tackle the situation. This was a completely new type of war and we were fighting against an invisible and unknown enemy. However, with courage and determination, we as a society have been able to rise to the occasion.”
The hallmark of Covid-19 management has been free service to all from testing to the treatment. This helped in early detection, isolation and treatment of the Covid positive cases, said the Chief Minister, adding that this is the primary reason for low mortality rate in Odisha as compared to other states.
With the recent rise in Covid cases in Maharashtra and other parts of the country, the Chief Minister appealed to the people to follow precautionary measures like wearing of masks, social distancing and frequent hand washing.
Emphasising on recovery of state economy from the impact of the pandemic, Patnaik said, “We have been able to rebound the economy. Our revenues have increased by 7.3 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year. We are in a much better fiscal position compared to many other states in the country.”
The state government has provided special financial support to the MSME sector to help them tide over this crisis. There was a continuous engagement with the industry to ensure that their production and logistics must not get affected by the lockdown, he pointed out.
In spite of the pandemic, Odisha has emerged as leading investment destination with over Rs 1.2 lakh crore investments in the last one year, claimed the Chief Minister.
Highlighting the state government’s initiatives for heritage conservation and development, Patnaik said, “With cooperation from people, we have taken up large-scale development projects at Puri, Ekamra Kshetra, Maa Samaleswari temple, Harishankar temple, Nrusinghanath temple, Konark and Tara Tarini among others.”
The state government has taken up 27 mega water supply projects at a cost of more than Rs 7,200 crore. Besides, the Capital city of Bhubaneswar has become the first major city in the country to achieve water supply to all houses, he said.
However, opposition BJP and Congress members staged walked out during the Chief Minister’s speech.