With a view to expediting its pre-poll preparation and strengthening organisational base at the grassroots level, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday appointed its senior party leaders as observers for 30 districts to supervise its ongoing State wide signature campaign for special category status to Odisha.
While Health Minister and party vice-president Dr Damodar Rout was assigned the responsibility of Dhenkanal and Angul, Anang Udaya Singh Deo was appointed for Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
Similarly, Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya was assigned the charge of Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh, Higher Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra for Bhadrak, Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das for Sundargarh and Jharsuguda, Niranjan Pujari for Keonjhar, Government Deputy Chief Whip Sanjy Kumar Dasburma for Mayurbhanj, Agriculture Minister Debi Prsad Mishra for Deogarh and Sambalpur, Revenue Minister Surya Narayan Patro for Baragarh and Sonepur, vice president Prafull Chandra Ghadai for Balangir, Energy Minister Arun Kumar Sahu for Kalahandi and Nuapada, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Keshari Deb for Koraput and Rayagada, Steel Minister Rajanikant Singh for Nabarangapur and Malkanagiri, law Minister Maheswar Mohanty for Ganjam and Gajapati, BJD Mahila Morcha president Pramila Mallick for Baleswar, School and Mass Education Minister Rabi Narayan Nanda for Jajpur and Kendrapada and Bikram Keshari Arukh was appointed for Kandhamal and Boudh districts, respectively.
They were asked to start their duty with immediate effect, said a release issued by the Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik.