THE ODISHA MOMENT

The state's transformative journey-from poverty to prosperity-under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, made for some fascinating discussions at the India Today State of the State Conclave in Bhubaneswar

- Arkamoy Datta Majumdar

Two decades ago, Odisha evoked the picture of abject poverty and malnutrition...but now this region is scaling new peaks of development every day, emerging as a rice bowl of the country," a proud Naveen Patnaik, chief minister of Odisha, said at the INDIA TODAY State of the State Conclave Odisha 2024 held in Bhubaneswar on February 24. This was no political statement in a state scheduled to go to the polls in just a couple of months, along with the Lok Sabha election. In fact, the unprecedented socio-economic turnaround that Odisha has witnessed since Patnaik took charge in 2000 emerged as the central theme of the day-long debates. There was a consensus among speakers that Odisha is scripting a new governance model through its welfare schemes, development initiatives and transformational outcomes.

When Patnaik took over the reins for the fifth time in 2019, he directed his attention and resources across sectors through an innovative approach called 5T-transparency, technology, teamwork, time and transformation. A vision that is being executed by his trusted aide the former bureaucrat V.K. Pandian.

An independent analysis conducted by Marketing and Development Research Associates (MDRA), a Delhi-based premier research agency, for INDIA TODAY has shown that Odisha's per capita income has grown threefold from 2011-12 to 2022-23, compared to the national average growth of 2.7 times during the same period. Currently, the state has a per capita income of around Rs 1.5 lakh per annum-higher than in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.