Strengthen party at panchayat level, Naveen tells BJD workers

Be tech-savvy and active on social media, volunteers told

Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday urged his party’s youth wing leaders to work hard to strengthen the party at the block and gram panchayat levels across the State.

Addressing the Biju Yuva Janata Dal working committee meeting here, Mr. Patnaik asked the party activists to become tech-savvy and more active on the social media to stay in touch with the people.

Model State

Claiming that Odisha was a model State in terms of welfare schemes, Mr. Patnaik asked the youth leaders to work at the grass-roots level to ensure that no eligible beneficiary remained out of the social security schemes.

Stating that “some individuals and parties are now spreading misinformation,” Mr. Patnaik urged the youth leaders to counter it at every level and tell the truth to the people.

Formation of panels

He urged the activists to involve themselves in the task of formation of district level committees within 15 days, constituency and block level committees within 30 days, and committees at the panchayat level within 45 days.

Reports about formation of these committees should reach him by July end, Mr. Patnaik said and he would attend the zonal meetings during June and July.

Observing that the focus of various policies was on creating more job opportunities and facilitating self-employment, Mr. Patnaik said five lakh jobs, including 50,000 in the government sector, were created during the last three years. The aim was to provide 30 lakh job opportunities by 2025.

“The overall growth in IT exports in the last year has been phenomenal. It is ₹40,000 crore in 2016-17, doubling from ₹20,000 crore in the last year. This the highest rate of growth ever,” he said.

Mr. Patnaik asked the youth leaders to participate in the party’s welfare programmes like Jiban Bindu (blood donation) and the Aama Gaon, Aama Vikas (Our Village, Our Development) from July 1.