You have become the first woman-chairperson of the Western Orissa Development Council (WODC), which was formed to develop western Orissa and reduce regional disparities. How do you feel at the moment? Do you wish to thank anybody?

I feel very proud. I want to specially thank Pyari Mohan Mohapatra (Rajya Sabha MP) and chief minister, Naveen Patnaik. I got this appointment due to their blessings and faith in me.

You conveyed special thanks to Pyari Mohapatra. Are you closer to him or Naveen?

Naveen babu, because my family was very close to his father, Biju babu. I always go to his house whenever I am in Bhubaneswar. I thanked Pyari babu since he played a key role in my appointment. Pyari babu recommended my name and Naveen babu accepted.

It is a general perception that the WODC is not an autonomous body and does not have any real power. Do you feel it is indeed a toothless body?

A lot of power has been delegated to it. It is functioning as a semi-government body for the development of 11 districts. Becoming the chairperson is a very prestigious thing. Naveen babu has thought a lot before appointing me and I want to thank him for that.

Could you tell us what powers does the chairperson have?

I have been given the power to work for the uplift of 11 districts and pass the budget for them. An amount of Rs 100 crore has been sanctioned to be utilised over the next five years for the districts.

But what exactly is on your agenda now? There must be certain areas that need more attention. How have you planned to go about it?

I want to take up development work of my area first. I am inspired by the way Naveen babu has taken the state on the path of progress. My thrust areas would be education, empowerment of women, water supply, irrigation and prosperity of farmers.

It has been 12 years since the council was formed but the headquarters have not yet been shifted from Bhubaneswar to western Orissa despite repeated appeals to the state government. Which place would be the most ideal?

Any one of the 11 districts would be ideal. We have not made proposals for any particular place so far but it is up to the state government to decide. I am just one-day old in the WODC office.

But don’t you feel it has been unfair on the people of western Orissa that the headquarters is in Bhubaneswar?

I don’t think it is unfair. People are able to come to Bhubaneswar to get their work done. The chairperson visits the areas of those who cannot come all the way here.

There is also a view that the WODC is acting as a “rehabilitation centre” for defeated ruling party politicians and others that the powers-that-be want to keep in good humour.

The members should ideally belong to western Orissa but it is for the chief minister to decide who he wants to have in the council.

Isn’t it true that the backward districts have not attained the desirable level of development on account of which people continue to suffer?

I was checking the office files on Wednesday and saw that a lot of work has been done in all areas. But people are not able to feel it. Let me take a tour of the districts and after that, I would be able to tell you the ground realities.

There is also a hue and cry for the creation of a separate state – Koshal – in western Orissa.

It is natural for people to raise their voice for something that they think they would benefit from.

In the past, there were demands for separate districts and Biju babu increased the number of districts from 13 to 30. In this issue too, let the state government take a decision.

The 11 districts under the council are prone to Maoist violence and is a huge concern for the ruling party. What steps would you take to curb the violence?

The state government is taking care of it by deploying security forces. At my level, I would work for the development of all 11 districts and try to bring down the incidence of violence.

Several industries are coming to Sundargarh. Isn’t there a threat perception to the local people as well as the environment?

Industries will bring progress. But we have to ensure that the farmers are not affected in any way.

You are the queen of the Sundargarh royal family. Do you feel blue-blood leaders find it difficult to strike a chord with the masses?

It has not been difficult for me at all. My cousin, Usha Devi (minister of textile and handloom, and science and technology) of Chikiti royal family, and the queens of Khalikote and Dharakot are also popular among the masses. Those who could gel well with people are in politics. The rest have remained housewives.

Roayal politically

Queen of the Sundargarh royal family, 62-year-old Padmini Shekhar Deo was appointed as the chairperson of the Western Orissa Development Council by chief minister, Naveen Patnaik earlier this week. She is the former chairperson of the Mahila Vikas Samavaya Nigam (State Women Development Cooperative Corporation).

Originally an Oriya, Padmini was born and brought up in Bihar. She completed her graduation from a Dhanbad college with economics and political science as her subjects. She was actively involved in students' politics and was elected as the president of her college union.

Padmini moved to Orissa in 1980 after her marriage to Sundargarh king, late Bharatendu Shekhar Deo, who was elected to the state legislative Assembly for three consecutive terms. Her father-in-law, Udit Pratap Shekhar Deo, was a cabinet minister during the R.N. Singhdeo government.

In 1985, she joined the Janata Dal under the leadership of late Biju Patnaik. She became the chairperson of the Sundargarh Notified Area Council (NAC) in 1992. Later, she was given a Janata Dal ticket to contest Assembly elections in 1995, which she lost.

Padmini has a son and a daughter. Her hobbies include reading, gardening and listening to music.

What would you have been had you not been a politician?

I would have been a social worker. I have been associated with social work since my college days. As luck would have it, I got married into a family with a political history. My father-in-law was a cabinet minister and my husband, Late Bharatendu Shekhar Deo, was a three-time MLA from Sundargarh. I used to campaign for my husband and he encouraged me to join politics. In 1992, Biju Patnaik offered a Janata Dal ticket to me to contest for the chairperson's post of Sundargarh NAC, which I won. However, I had been doing social work for my district and neighbouring areas much before I entered into politics.