Public perception on Naveen Today | Radhakanta Barik

The general election of 2024 changed the political scenario. Each section of people of Odisha be young or old, man or woman remembers Naveen Patnaik like a hero.

Keywords: General election, defeat, hero and public policies

Introduction:

Although the BJD has got one percentage of votes more than the BJP but it lost in state assembly and all parliament seats except one for Congress , In the name of Naveen Patnaik folk songs are getting created. Here a song talks of his quality as diamond."Ame khoju khoju suna ame hareichu mukta ." That we in search of gold and we missed the real diamond. This is an euphoric element in Naveen Patnaik’s career as a politician.

Flood prone areas:

Naveen Patnaik’s government is to be remembered for works related to bridged pucca road over the rivers of Odisha. The coastal Odisha are crisscrossed with the rivers which disconnect from one village to the other.

Natural calamities:

Odisha is a cradle of natural calamities. Naveen Patnaik is a great manager of natural calamities and he immediately moves to central control room to maintain the control over the natural calamities. He has succeeded to do so and at least there are ten natural calamities like cyclones which had no human loss during his period. There are other calamities like heat wave and he compensates someone who is victim of heat wave and victims of lightening also compensated. It is interesting to note here that his administration sees that victims do get compensation in time.

Health facilities in Odisha:

Odisha is a peaceful place to live in and Naveen government did not allow the communal riots to flare up. It gets immediately controlled by the administrative elite. He has commitment to maintain law and order in the state. Historically there are two communally sensitive places: Bhadrak and Kendrapara. Knowing well he enforced additional police force to maintain law and order in these towns.

Construction of Medical Colleges and hospitals:

Naveen Patnaik has built a network of health facilities in the cities of Odisha. He had a plan to build one medical college with best hospital in each district town. He has completed 11 Medical colleges in far off places like Bolangir to Kalahandi. His plan of giving hospital to each district is there and in each district one best hospital has been constructed. This has created public support for him and his party. Furthermore Biju health facilities under which some lakhs are given to poor people.

Agrarian crisis:

Agrarian crisis has deepened in Odisha except Baragarh. As farming is unviable, the land owning families have leased out their land where the sharecroppers have a better bargaining position. It used to be on 5o-50 while the tenant is supposed to provide his labour and technology. Other things such as seeds, pesticide are to be paid by the landowning families. Now it has been changed to 60-40 whereas tenant is supposed to take risk in farming. With drought, flood and cyclone as a regular phenomenon; tenant farming is facing challenges. They do not have pattas they do not get institutional loan which is a critical input in the present day cultivationThere is a provision of Rs12000 in the name of Kalia to each tenant farmer.

Welfare measures for newly born babies :

Someone in family is pregnant she needs money for delivery. In the past people used to borrow from money lenders as it cannot be avoided and it is an urgent task. The moment child is there and both mother and child need special care for which there is an arrangement of Rs ten thousand. The family size increases they need extra ration for which there is provision of rice of five KG. Then child grows up and goes to school for which family requires money there is provision of 2000 for son and 10000 for daughter. Most we in our school studies forced our parents to sell their land and most of our parents got indebted to the moneylenders. Naveen Patnaik did another thing for the school children that implementation of midday meal for them with eggs and fish which is a milestone in working out Right to Education. The pre school ICDS programme is a great success in Odisha to protect the mother and small children of two years old.( Khera 2005)

Pucca houses:

Biju Pucca ghar helps many families to build their homes. SSG plays an important role in bringing out women from all castes to do some productive works and earn some money. In my survey in Tirtol Block one finds the women belonging to all castes sitting together and deciding how to borrow money and spend in a meaningful manner. Poorer families are able to educate their children to have college education as they can borrow money from the SSG and spend for education.

Procurement price:

Naveen Patnaik in his long tenure is to be remembered for another thing that is the offering Procurement Price to farmers of Odisha, IT was the time when the BJP was a part of Coalition government in Odisha and he was a supporter of the Vajpayee government. The central government opposed the proposal put forth by the state government. He went ahead and implemented it. The farmers of Odisha decided to abandon the production of rice and wanted to keep the land fallow as it is non-remunerative. He took a bold decision and advised the Civil Supply Department to buy the rice from the farmers and provided the procurement price.

Public Distribution System:

In 2000 Naveen came to power in Odisha and he introduced the public distribution system in opposition from Marwaris and Gujaratis which made him a heroIn the cities of Odisha had a higher level of poverty than the villages and implementation helped them to lead a little tolerable life. Naveen Babu turned into a hero overnight. The best thing in the cities one can get a meal for Rs 5. On inquiry from auto wala one can find that they take two meals at 11 and combine their breakfast and lunch. Those having income up to five hundred in the cities are able to survive with dignity and many unemployed youths eat in these restaurants. Five rupees for city bus journey where rich and poor both go. Hunger in our state is multi layered. Only Public Distribution System is not enough. Free kitchen in the towns help urban poor, unemployed youth, those semi skilled workers whose income is below Rs 250. These kitchens are providing Rice and dalama at a Rs 5 which is in heavy demand. These people are avoiding their breakfasts and coming for launch here. Many of them take double meals for their bunch.

Sports Complex :

Odisha improved its human resources by implementing measures like right to food and right to education and right to health shaped human capability to exert physical exercises. The state created opportunities for sports activities like sports complex in various cities and stadiums in each district and better coaching facilities for some sports activities like Football, Hockey and running all these improved the sports person in both male and female players in international standards create a lot of hope for the future that in mapping sports activities Odisha has emerged as a power house.

Conclusion

Memory of an individual or a cultural community gets stirred up with certain events like the defeat of Naveen Patnaik in 2024 general election.

References:

Khera R, 2005 “Children’s Development: Baby Steps in Odisha, EPW 3 Oct