The India Today State of the State Odisha awards were clear vindication of the transformative journey the state has undertaken
Odisha has come a long way from those harrowing days of the Super Cyclone in 1999 when a 25-yearold district collector of Cuttack, Pradip Jena (now 48 and additional chief secretary, revenue and disaster management), was running helter-skelter to arrange safe shelter for the people and restore power. Today, it is the first state in the country to have an independent Odisha Disaster Management Authority and its own rapid response team. Indeed, its expertise is such that it helps other states navigate storms and natural calamities. Odisha also now prides itself on having a GSDP growth of 10.1 per cent as against the national GDP growth of 8.8 per cent in 2021-22. From a BIMARU state, it has taken giant strides to emerge as a role model for others in sectors as diverse as disaster management, health, education, skill development, industry and women’s empowerment.
