Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan today urged the people of Odisha to contribute towards making the state prosperous.
The minister was speaking at a programme "Nua Odisha Nirmana Abhijan" organised at Chandrabhaga sea beach in Konark in Puri district on the occasion of 'Utkala Dibasa'.
"Not only the government, but society should come forward for making a new and prosperous Odisha. A massive public awareness needs to be created to fight evils plaguing the society," Pradhan said.
Describing cleanliness as a social responsibility, Pradhan said the health condition of children in 20 districts of Odisha is alarming due to malnutrition and public awareness should be created to tackle such evils.
"Similarly, someone has also to take the charge of guiding the 42 lakh youths of the state," added Pradhan.
Apart from feeling proud for the glorious history of Odisha, the future generation should come forward to make our state a prosperous state of the country, he said.
Stating that Odisha ranks 35th in terms of world population, he questioned as to why will the milestone for Odishas development lag behind?
The minister also cited examples of the significant role played by Odias in bringing glory to the state and making the state proud.
If the love for Odia language is not inculcated among the children, the statesmen of Odisha who had once dreamt for the formation of a separate Odisha state will remain unfulfilled, Pradhan added.
The event was organised under the banner of Prachi Trust, a social organization.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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