Rourkela: Orissa Chief Minister, Naveen
Patnaik on Saturday said that the state had been progressing in
every field and he was committed to make Orissa a number one
state in the country.
"Education, agriculture, industries and power
generation in all respect Orissa has been improving", Patnaik
said while appealing people to cooperate with the government.
The chief minister during his brief visit to the steel
city distributed forest land pattas to adivasis and bi-cycles
to girl students at a function here.
He also inaugurated Biju Gram Jyoti and Kutir Jyoti
schemes at village Reldihi and Patrapali near here.
Addressing the gathering Patnaik said Orissa had been
a leading state in the field of technical education in the
country.
Students from various parts of the country had been
coming to Orissa for technical eduction, he said.
With the efforts of the state government, various
schemes were being implemented in rural areas to improve the
lives of the villagers. Infant mortality rates in the state
had been reduced, Patnaik said.
The chief minister also visited the National Institute
of Technology (NIT), Rourkela and unveiled the portrait of
Biju Patnaik, who laid the foundation stone of the then
Regional Engineering College (REC) 50 years ago.
He also inaugurated the Department of Biotechnology
and Medical Engineering in the campus.
Earlier, Patnaik inaugurated the 600 mw power plant of
the Vedanta at Jharsuguda, 100 km from here.
PTI