Kandhamal: It is obviously a paradigm shift for the noted educationist and social activist Dr. Achyuta Samanta to accept politics as an additional responsibility. Yet what has come in handy for him is the endpoint. That is delivery and which he has been doing for over two decades with a dedicated goal for good of tribal and downtrodden.
As a first-timer to wear the new mantle as Lok sabha MP, his steps never missed the spring to walk into Kandhamal district as his constituency. Besides several welfare projects getting flagged off, one-to-one interaction and meetings, sometimes he fell short of time for a pause.
His last six days in Kandhamal which was exciting for the people and challenging for him. Challenge being his part of passion his visit was grilled to minutes in which he accommodated all. Starting at 6 am he never knew when it ended.
Dr. Samanta flagged off the 69th Senior State Volleyball Championship (Men and Women) at Kandhamal and Boudh respectively. He stayed till the closing and was constantly present to encourage the players, interact with them and learn about their journey. The response towards the event was magnanimous and people expressed their gratitude to the parliamentarian, for taking sports to rural areas.
Six days of my intensive work at #Kandhamal Parliamentary Constituency. pic.twitter.com/dJUUpSAX4d
— Achyuta Samanta (@achyuta_samanta) November 17, 2021
During the closing ceremony of the sporting event, Samanta talked about the Chief Minister’s vision of making Odisha’s rural regions a sporting hub like the capital. It was for the first time in many decades that Kandhamal had seen such a grand sporting event. Every volunteer, sport personnel and spectator were overwhelmed with happiness and emotion at the end of the tournament. They thanked Samanta and the party for organizing such a massive event, flawless and fabulous. Samanta has assured that the next event in Kandhamal will be the state-level Football tournament. It is important to mention that during his earlier visit he sponsored floodlights for five playgrounds because of which such tournaments can be organised.
Likewise, he endorsed and attended another initiative of bridging the rural-urban gap in Odisha – the transformation of Schools, a visionary project of the CM. Samanta addressed at the program of dedication of 10 transformed schools in Kandhamal under 5T initiative. He said, “This will enable our youth in rural areas and they in return will bring glory for Odisha in all fields including studies, sports & music. It will help kids dream big and move forward with confidence to face unique challenges of the 21st century.”
Samanta arranged to distribute over 12,000 blankets and 12,000 sarees to the disadvantaged across the 20 blocks of Kandhamal in his personal capacity. He also started the distribution drive of 10,000 shirts to “Mo Bandhu” Youth.
The Kandhamal MP extensively interacted with PRI members, party workers, SHGs and other volunteers of all blocks of Boud and Kandhamal Parliamentary Constituency. Speaking about the policies and vision of his party, Biju Janata Dal, he talked about two Guru Mantras. He said, “The Hon’ble Chief Minister has prioritized holistic development in Odisha. He isn’t developing a particular sector solely or a community. He ensures that no one is left behind and all get equal opportunities and equal aid. And what we need to do is, make the common people aware of the comprehensive support that they are receiving from the government.” Adding to the first, he gave the second guru mantra and said, “We need to respect our Chief Minister and need to show our respect for his party. The person getting ticket for the Zilla Parisad, is the nominee of the Biju Janata Dal and our Chief Minister. We need to keep our views and reservations aside and show confidence in the candidate. We need to show our loyalty to the party and its values.” Connecting and giving back are the two main kernels of “Mo Bandhu.”
Besides this Dr. Samanta had a very good interactive session with all Government Officials of Kandhamal and also at District Development Coordination & Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting.
In all his meetings, one common highlight was his gratitude towards Naveen Patnaik for giving him the opportunity to serve the people of Kandhamal and the state and providing him a broader canvas to serve the society adding to his penance and straddles to worlds of experience, a new domain of public service besides his relentless contribution as an educationist and humanitarian for the last three decades.
Ms Kalinga