In his Independent Day speech, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed deep concern over construction of barrages upstream Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh and said his Government has taken seriously of it to protect rights of Odisha over Mahanadi water.
“My Government is making sincere effort to resolve Mahanadi river water sharing issue, and we believe it will be successful,” the Chief Minister said after hoisting the Natinal Flag at the State-level parade at Gandhi Marg here on Monday.
Noting that no single State should try to enjoy exclusive rights on the water of rivers passing through several States, Naveen said such attempts were against the federal spirit.
Claiming that Odisha is on the path of development, Naveen said the State has carved a separate identity for itself and become an attractive destination for investment in a number of sectors.
He also claimed that income of people has gone up and poverty level dropped considerably.
“Three lakh new beneficiaries have been included in the Madhu Babu Pension Yojna and crop loans are being provided at one per cent interest,” Patnaik boasted of.
Speaking on promotion of Odia language, he said steps have been taken for use of Odia in Government work and plan made for establishment of a special Odia language and literature University.
He described participation of six girls from the State in Rio Olympics as a matter of pride for Odisha people.