Utkal Diwas celebrated with fanfare in State

For the first time, Pottangi block officials celebrated Utkal Diwas at the disputed Kotiya panchayat in collaboration with ‘Ama Kotiya’ organisation on Sunday. All block officials amd members of ‘Ama Kotiya’ including school students paid rich floral tributes to of Utkal Mani Gopabandhu Dash to mark the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, former Koraput Collector and ‘Ama Kotiya’ convenor Gadadhar Parida expressed gratitude to Pottangi administration for celebrating the event. Parida accused the State Government of neglecting several remote places of Koraput district.  

While Governments in Chhattishgarh and Andhra Pradesh have identified Mali, Gouda and Doras as Scheduled Tribes, the communities still come under backward category in Odisha. He urged the State Government to consider the demand of these communities which form the majority of the population in Kotiya.

Among others, Pottangi BDO Karunakar Pradhan and former MP and BJP leader Jayram Pangi were present. Utkal Diwas was also celebrated in the district headquarters town by members of Sabar Sanskrutika Paika Akhada.

On the occasion of Utkal Diwas, Transport and Commerce Minister Nrushinga Sahoo flagged off a new OSRTC bus to Bhubaneswar via Khuntani, Chowdwar and Barang from Dhenkanal. Odisha Seeds Corporation Chairman Yogendranath Tripathy, Dhenkanal MLA and District Planning Committee Chairman Saroj Samal and RTO Basant Behera were present.

The day was also celebrated with much fanfare at Bhawanipatna. A cultural event was organised by the Kalahandi district administration at Biju Kalyan Mandap. Local MLA and Chairman of district planning board Balabhadra Majhi was the chief guest. Similarly, ST and SC Development Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi attended Utkal Diwas celebrations at Malkangiri. Majhi laid foundation stone for a dining-cum-kitchen hall in Sikhpally Government Girls High School and also inaugurated a 500-bed hostel and dinning-cum-kitchen building in Satiguda Government Girls High School.

The Minister also inaugurated many hostel buildings of schools run by ST and SC Development department in the district.  Utkal Diwas was also celebrated at Rayagada on the day.In Rourkela, Utkal Diwas was celebrated under the aegis of National Day Celebration Committee (NDCC) in presence of Panchayati Raj and Agriculture Minister Pradeep Maharathy. Earlier on the day, a procession was carried out in the city which was attended  by administrative officers, eminent citizens, students and members of political parties and voluntary outfits.Finance and Excise Minister Sashibhusan Behera graced the Utkal Diwas celebration at Nayagarh as the Chief Guest.