Bhubaneswar, June 5: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik called on activists of the BJD's students' wing to focus on serving society and their motherland, preferring to focus on the government's concerted attempts to create employment opportunities for the youth.
Addressing delegates at the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal executive committee meeting here today, he advised them to strive to serve the society and the motherland and laid emphasis on the government's efforts to create an environment for their overall development.
"We aim to train eight lakh persons under the skill development programme. So far, three lakh people have received training," he said.
He also focussed on the success of the state in attracting investment through meets in Bangalore, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar. Claiming that the state had emerged as an education and IT hub, Naveen said: "Odisha aims to create 30 lakh job opportunities in the state by 2025."
The BJD president stayed away from politics, unlike last month when he asked members of the Biju Yuva Janata Dal to counter the BJP's misinformation campaign against the government and the party.
He did not even mention the contentious Mahanadi water sharing issue that has been a burning issue in the state.
However, other party leaders were not so kind as they accused the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of spreading misinformation. They blamed the Modi government for failing provide employment opportunities for the country's youth.
The BJD today also targeted the BJP government in Chhattisgarh on the issue of reduced flow of water in the Mahanadi.
Party spokesperson and BJD's Rajya Sabha candidate Pratap Keshari Deb said: "The chief minister has already written to the Chhattisgarh government on the issue. The water flow in the Mahanadi has reduced to a great extent. They are providing wrong information on this issue."
However, Chhattisgarh water resources minister Brijmohan Agrawal dismissed the charges. "We have not stopped the flow of Mahanadi water," he said.
BJP leader and Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram said: "The Naveen Patnaik government is playing politics over the issue."
