The Mohan Majhi government in Odisha has announced the formation of a task force to lay the groundwork for establishing the ‘South Odisha Vikas Parishad’ (Southern Odisha Development Council), which aims at driving development in the southern part of the State while ensuring the inclusion of all sections of society in the progress.
Regional imbalances
Shortly after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, the Chief Minister had announced the formation of a high-level task force to establish the Northern Odisha Development Council, chaired by Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra.
The creation of the councils holds political significance as various regions of Odisha have been demanding targeted interventions and dedicated funding to accelerate development. For decades, the western part of the State has received special funds to address regional imbalances, prompting other regions to seek similar support.
The latest task force has been constituted to give informed opinions on how the Vikas Parishad (Development Council) should be constituted, which districts and blocks it should cover and what its structure and functioning should be. Constituted under the chairmanship of School and Mass Education Nityanand Gond, the task force will submit its report within 30 days of its constitution.
Other members include Commerce and Transport and Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Fisheries and Livestock and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Gokulananda Mallick, Leader of the Opposition Ramachandra Kadam, MPs Balabhadra Majhi and Sukant Kumar Panigrahi, and MLAs Shiva Mohapatra, Narasingh Madkami, Rupesh Kumar Panigrahi and Umcharan Mallick.
Published – December 03, 2024 12:12 am IST
