Chasa O Desa’ narrates the life of the common man. The book written by columnist Natabar Khuntia was released here on August 26.
The book is a compilation of his 126 essays published in different newspapers and journals in the last 12 years on issues relating to farmers and rural economy, poverty, education, health, industry and unemployment.
At the launch ceremony, Minister of Cooperation and Excise Dr Damodar Rout said, “Though industrialisation is required for development of the State but without agriculture the State cannot really develop. Columnist Khuntia has not only brought into light the issues of agriculture but also shows a way forward.
Sambad editor Soumya Ranjan Pattnaik said Khuntia has been regularly writing about the issues touching the lives of the common people in his own simple style.
Former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo, who presided over the ceremony, said Khuntia has exposed how the rosy picture of development that the Government has shown for the last one and a half decades is untrue.
Among the others present were Prof laxmi Narayan Kar, Prof Pradyot Keshari Pradhan, Dr Bimlendu Mohanty and Ajey Rout, who discussed the problems of agriculture and also gave a synopsis of the book.
The book has been published by the Odisha Chasi Vikash Trust, the distributors being the Gaunli Vichar
Trust and the Utkal Vikash Parishad.