Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday flagged off a special train from Bhubaneswar New Railway Station, carrying around 1,000 representatives from 19 Naxal-free districts to Ekta Nagar in Gujarat for the National Unity Day parade on October 31.
The event will mark the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, popularly known as the Iron Man of India. The representatives will participate in the national-level celebrations near the Statue of Unity, showcasing Odisha’s journey towards peace, security and development.
Addressing the media after flagging off the train, Majhi paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for his historic contribution to national unity. He said Patel’s extraordinary leadership and determination had brought together more than 550 princely states, laying the foundation for a united India.
The Chief Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been honouring Patel’s legacy by observing his birth anniversary as National Unity Day every year since assuming office in 2014. He added that this year’s National Unity Parade would reflect the achievement of a Naxal-free India.
Majhi credited the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the firm leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the efforts of security forces at the national and state levels for eliminating Naxalism in India and Odisha.
He said the state was moving rapidly towards development, with infrastructure creation and social and economic progress receiving top priority in areas previously affected by Naxalism.
Under the Gramodaya Plus scheme, various public welfare programmes are being implemented in an integrated manner across 10 affected districts to ensure that genuine beneficiaries receive the intended benefits and become part of the mainstream.
The Chief Minister also said the collective efforts of the country’s 140 crore people continued to advance the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
In a separate announcement, Majhi said the Central government had sanctioned a new express train connecting Puri with Badampahar in Mayurbhanj district.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to flag off the new service in the first week of November.
The proposed service is expected to strengthen railway connectivity across six Odisha districts – Puri, Khordha, Cuttack, Jajpur, Keonjhar, and Mayurbhanj – improving transport links across the state.
