22 yrs after he came to power, Naveen Patnaik to embark on second foreign trip

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik will meet WFP executive director David Beasley and other senior leaders about future projects for ensuring the state’s food security in a sustainable manner

Updated on: Jun 18, 2022, 18:05:32 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday left for New Delhi with five other officials before his journey to Rome scheduled for June 20 and then Dubai.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and his officials will fly to Rome on June 20 to attend an event of the World Food Program where he will share details of the transformative initiatives undertaken by his government in the field of food security. (PTI PHOTO.)

This is Patnaik’s second foreign tour after he came to power 22 years ago in the state.

His last international trip in 2012 had to be cut short after his confidant Pyari Mohan Mohapatra allegedly triggered a rebellion within the BJD. The Odisha CM left for New Delhi this afternoon with four IAS officers including chief secretary Suresh Mohapatra and private secretary VK Pandian.

From New Delhi, Patnaik and his officials will fly to Rome on June 20 to attend an event of the World Food Program where he will share details of the transformative initiatives undertaken by his government in the field of food security and disaster management.

To ensure food security, Odisha has been giving rice at ₹2 per kg to people below poverty line since 2008 which was brought down to Re 1 per kg in 2013. In Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput region of the state where hundreds of starvation deaths have been reported over the last few decades, people above poverty line are also covered under the food security net.

People aware of the development in the CMO said, Patnaik will meet WFP executive director David Beasley and other senior leaders about future projects for ensuring the state’s food security in a sustainable manner.

During his stay in Rome, he will meet Pope Francis at the Vatican City. In October last year, the Centre had denied permission to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to attend a World Peace Conference in Rome where she was supposed to meet Pope Francis. The Centre had then said that the “event is not commensurate in status for participation by the chief minister of a state”.

Patnaik will also meet the Odia diaspora from various parts of Europe. He will discuss with nonresident Odias on possible ways to engage with them for promoting the art and culture of Odisha, enabling them to be a part of the state’s transformational journey.

On his way back, Patnaik will meet investors from the Middle East and adjoining regions in Dubai on June 29. He will invite potential investors to invest in Odisha and assure them of support and facilitation by the state government. He will also have one-on-one meetings with a few big investors from the region.

An industrial delegation from Odisha will also be present during the investors meet for possible partnerships with foreign investors. Patnaik will meet members of the UAE Odia Samaj and Dubai-based non-resident Odia community and discuss with them the state’s transformational journey over the last two decades and invite them for partnerships.

Though a jet-setter in his early life, Patnaik has barely travelled outside Odisha in the last 22 years except visiting New Delhi to meet union ministers.

Patnaik will reach Bhubaneswar on June 30, just ahead of the Budget Session of the Odisha Assembly beginning on July 2.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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