CM, Naveen pay tributes to Vajpayee

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and his predeces-sor and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.

The Odisha government’s Information and Public Relations (I&PR) Depart-ment, in a message, termed Vajpayee as ‘Vikas Purush’ and said the State scaled new heights under his leadership.

The government recounted some major developmental projects, including the establishment of AIIMS Bhubaneswar, an oil refinery at Paradip and crea-tion of the East Coast Railway (ECoR) division with its headquarters in Bhu-baneswar, undertaken during the tenure of the former prime minister.

The construction of 400 km of highways in Odisha under the Golden Quadri-lateral project, and road network of more than 18,000 km (PMSY) to connect the unconnected stand testament to the eponym ‘Vikas Purush’, it said.

On the occasion of Good Governance Day, the people of Odisha pay heartfelt tribute to Vajpayee, the architect of administrative excellence, it added.

In a post on X, Chief Minister Majhi paid tributes to the former prime minis-ter and extended heartiest congratulations and best wishes to everyone on the occasion of Good Governance Day.

Several senior political leaders from Odisha, including Union Education Min-ister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram, and State BJP president Manmohan Samal paid respects to Vajpayee on his birth centenary.

“Humble tributes to former Prime Minister of India, #AtalBihariVajpayee on his birth anniversary. #Atal ji was a distinguished statesman, outstanding parliamentarian, a renowned poet and orator. His contribution to the nation building will continue to inspire,” former chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote on X.

Meanwhile, AIIMS Bhubaneswar observed Good Governance Day, with sen-ior functionaries of the institute paying floral tributes at the statue of Vajpayee, installed on the campus.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Ashutosh Biswas expressed profound respect for Vajpayee, highlighting his instrumental role in the development of the institution.

The foundation stone of the institute was laid by Vajpayee on July 15, 2003. AIIMS Bhubaneswar is noteworthy as the second AIIMS established in the country and the only one whose foundation stone was laid by the former prime minister himself.