Biju patnaik birth anniv delinked from PR Day
The BJP government in Odisha said it would observe March 5 as the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik and not as ‘Panchayati Raj Day,’ as has been celebrated for decades, besides cancelling the holiday on that day.
Bhubaneswar: The BJP government in Odisha said it would observe March 5 as the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik and not as ‘Panchayati Raj Day,’ as has been celebrated for decades, besides cancelling the holiday on that day.
In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said though March 5 has been celebrated as “Panchayati Raj Divas” in Odisha every year, this time the day will be observed on April 24, in alignment with the national observance. While Odisha had observed ‘Panchayati Raj Day’ on March 5 since the 1990s to coincide with Biju Patnaik’s birthday, the national ‘PR Day’ is celebrated on April 24.
On this day, awards are given to panchayat representatives from various States, including the Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award and others. “To overcome this inconsistency at the national and State levels in the celebration of Panchayati Raj Day, the State government has decided to no longer celebrate March 5 as Panchayati Raj Day in Odisha and will instead celebrate it on April 24,” the CMO said.
The State government also decided to observe Public Service Day on April 24. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved a proposal to observe March 5 as Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary, rather than as PR Divas.
The State government’s announcement came hours after the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) asked the State government to clarify its stand on celebration of the PR Divas on March 5. The BJD expressed disappointment over the State government’s indifference towards celebrating Panchayati Raj Divas on March 5.
“The Panchayati Raj Divas has been celebrated on the birthday of Biju Babu since the early 1990’s, irrespective of the party in power in Odisha. All previous governments, including Congress, have celebrated it on March 5 as Panchayati Raj Divas. But it is a matter of great sorrow that the BJP government delinked Biju Patnaik’s name from the Panchayati Raj Divas,” BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said.
The State will celebrate 109th birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik on March 5.
