It is obviously a paradigm shift for noted educationist and social activist Dr Achyuta Samanta to accept politics as an additional responsibility. Yet what has come in handy for him is the endpoint. That is delivery and which he has been doing for over two decades with a dedicated goal for good of tribals and downtrodden. He is also determined to see that Kandhamal, the Lok Sabha Constituency he represents, emerges a Model Constituency.
Dr Samanta flagged off the 69th Senior State Volleyball Championship (Men and Women) at Kandhamal and Boudh respectively. He stayed till the closing and was constantly present to encourage the players, interact with them and learn about their journey.
During the closing ceremony of the sporting event, Samanta talked about the Chief Minister's vision of making Odisha’s rural regions a sporting hub like the capital.
Likewise, Samanta addressed at the programme of dedication of 10 transformed schools in Kandhamal under 5T initiative. He said, "This will enable our youths in rural areas and they in return will bring glory for Odisha in all fields including studies, sports and music. It will help kids dream big and move forward with confidence to face unique challenges of the 21st century."
Samanta arranged to distribute over 12,000 blankets and 12,000 sarees to the disadvantaged across the 20 blocks of Kandhamal in his personal capacity. He also started the distribution drive of 10,000 shirts to “Mo Bandhu” Youth.
Samanta extensively interacted with PRI members, party workers, SHGs and other volunteers of all blocks of Boudh and Kandhamal Parliamentary Constituency. Speaking about the policies and vision of his party, Biju Janata Dal, he talked about two Guru Mantras. He said, "The Chief Minister has prioritised holistic development in Odisha. He isn’t developing a particular sector solely or a community. He ensures that no one is left behind and all get equal opportunities and equal aid.
And what we need to do is, make the common people aware of the comprehensive support that they are receiving from the Government."
Adding to the first, he gave the second guru mantra and said, "We need to respect our Chief Minister and need to show our respect for his party. The person getting ticket for the Zilla Parisad, is the nominee of the Biju Janata Dal and our Chief Minister. We need to keep our views and reservations aside and show confidence in the candidate. We need to show our loyalty to the party and its values." Connecting and giving back are the two main kernels of "Mo Bandhu."Besides this, Samanta had a very good interactive session with all Government officials of Kandhamal and also at District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting.
In all his meetings, one common highlight was his gratitude towards CM Naveen Patnaik for giving him the opportunity to serve the people of Kandhamal and the State and providing him a broader canvas to serve the society.