This year has seen a few highs and some lows too. But as we wrap up another year, The Telegraph reflects on a few key decisions and individual achievements that have been the high points of 2015.
On a song
Thirteen-year-old Ananya Sritam Nanda is on a song. She made the state proud by winning the Indian Idol Junior-2015 contest. Bhubaneswar girl Ananya is a trained classical singer, who grew under the tutelage of Pandit Chittaranjan Pani. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitated her, chief minister Naveen Patnaik wished her greater success. Since winning the title in September, Ananya has been performing at a number of events and musical concerts across the country.
Smart move
On the civic front, the big take away this year has been Bhubaneswar and Rourkela getting into the list of 100 urban centres to be transformed into smart cities. Bhubaneswar smart city will be developed over about 1,000 acres extending from Sishu Bhavan to Vani Vihar with an investment of Rs 4,537 crore to cater to the needs of a population of over above 10 lakh.
Similarly, Rourkela will be developed over about 1,241 acres from Birsa Chhak to the Brahmani bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 2,413 crore. Among other things, the two cities can expect major changes in the areas of water supply, solid waste management, Wi-Fi connectivity and rainwater harvesting.
Ace performer
Tennis player Chinmay Pradhan is a challenge unto himself. After becoming the first player from the state to reach the finals of a national tournament in 2012, a year later he entered the record books as the first Odia player to win an all-India tennis event. This year, he entered the international circuit by winning his first ATP point in the India F15 Futures tournament in September. The right-handed player coached by Santosh Mallik has a current international singles ranking of 2,150.
Odia wins
The fight of BJD MP Baisnab Parida paid off with chief minister Naveen Patnaik directing officials to use Odia while preparing government orders, nameplates and advertisements. This is a big boost to Odia that was declared as the official language in 1956. However, successive regimes did not enforce use of the language in official work, barring of course former chief minister J.B. Patnaik, who had in the '80s asked bureaucrats to write notes in Odia.
Big step
The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) took a big step by revising Plus Two syllabus from the next academic session to achieve parity with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The decision was taken following dismal performance of state students in all-India competitive examinations, where question papers are modelled on the CBSE syllabus. The new syllabus also lays more emphasis on skill development.
