Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to share state’s food security mantra with World Food Programme

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday left for Delhi ahead of his international visits starting Monday. Naveen is leading a high-level delegation comprising Chief Secretary Suresh Mahapatra, Secretary to Chief Minister and 5T department VK Pandian, Principal Secretary in the Food and Civil Supplies department VV Yadav, Principal Secretary in the Industries department Hemant Sharma and Resident Commissioner in New Delhi Ravi Kant to Rome and Dubai.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office, the World Food Programme (WFP) has extended an invitation to Naveen to visit its headquarters in Rome and share the transformative initiatives of Odisha in the field of food security and disaster management. He will narrate how from being a food-dependent State, Odisha has transformed itself into a food surplus State adding to the country’s public distribution system.

Naveen will meet the executive director of WFP David Beasley and its senior leadership. He will discuss Odisha’s partnership with WFP and future projects for ensuring food security in a sustainable manner. The Chief Minister will also meet the Odia diaspora from various parts of Europe in Rome. He is also scheduled to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican, the CMO release stated.

On his way back, Naveen will meet investors from the Middle East and adjoining regions in Dubai. He will extend an invitation to the potential investors to come and invest in Odisha. He will also have one-on-one meetings with some big investors from the region.