Feedback focus

One of the salient features of chief minister Naveen Patnaik's address to his council on the completion of one year in office in his fourth term was his emphasis on ministers' evolving their own mechanism for gathering feedback instead of relying on the bureaucracy. For someone who has been accused of being a bureaucrats' chief minister, it was a surprisingly bold piece of advice, which must have gladdened the hearts of most of the ministers while leaving the bureaucrats a bit flustered. But this is easier said than done as was evident from his subsequent review of the performance of two departments where there were too many bureaucrats for the comfort of the ministers concerned.

Precious timing

Holding chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s attention is not easy. Of late, he has shown a tendency of being dismissive about presentations that linger a bit too long for his taste. The most recent instance of this was during the launch of the state government's special website www. nabakalebara.gov.in. When the chief minister was being steered through the website, he suddenly appeared to have lost interest with a bored expression on his face. The bureaucrats present took the hint immediately and asked the person making the presentation to stop. The show came to an abrupt end. 

On celluloid

Odisha’s tribal life has always fascinated filmmakers not just because it is culturally rich but also for the fact that it can attract both national and international audience. The most recent proof of this is veteran filmmaker Sabyasachi Mohapatra’s Adim Vichar that won an award. Actor-producer-turned-politician Prashant Nanda has penned a novel on the lives of Dongria Kondhs, a primitive tribal community of the state, which many hope might be turned into a full-fledged movie. Palsa, an eponymous novel based on the struggles of a young Dongria Kondh woman, was released recently in Bhubaneswar. The fans of Nanda, who has directed the much acclaimed Jianta Bhoota (The Living Ghost), a feature film based on the culture of Dongria Kondhs, hope Palsa will make its appearance on the celluloid soon. 

Review action

The reaction of ministers after being reviewed by chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the end of the first year in office ranged from a nervous “let’s see” to almost boastful “will come up on top.” However, there was one minister who appeared quite stoic about the exercise for reasons that could leave many baffled. When quizzed about it, excise minister Damodar Rout replied with characteristic nonchalance that his department was neither important nor had to do much with public welfare. Coming from a senior minister, the statement must have surprised journalists but for those who know Rout there must be a deeper meaning to what he said.

Fund saviour 

The recent launch of the state government's brand new Nabakalebar website gave information technology (IT) secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena something to boast about. 

Talking informally to mediapersons after the official launch where the chief minister was present, Jena revealed that the department had saved around Rs 47 lakh by getting the website designed through Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) that functions 
under it. 

A private company that the department had negotiated with earlier for designing the website had made a demand of Rs 76 lakh but the OCAC ultimately did it for Rs 29 lakh. “Don’t you think it is a very big achievement” asked Jena, obviously pleased with the work done by the OCAC.

Footnote

Zero tolerance

When chief minister Naveen Patnaik talks of zero tolerance for corruption, he means it. The latest instance of this is the way he suspended a vigilance inspector who had a corruption case against him when he was posted in Sambalpur. Sources said the file on the issue that went to the chief minister had sought his approval for lodging a criminal case against the officer who is now posted in Berhampur. 

However, the chief minister with his known abhorrence for corruption went a step further and recommended immediate suspension of the officer who had been charged with grabbing government land in Sambalpur.