Bhubaneswar, June 9: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today unveiled a statue of the state's first woman chief minister, Nandini Satpathy, on the occasion of her 85th birth anniversary.

The 10-feet-tall statue, which stands near Raj Bhavan, has been built by the state culture department at an estimated cost of Rs 5.8 lakh.

"Nandini Satpathy was the first woman chief minister of Odisha and a good administrator," Naveen said after unveiling the statue. A host of meetings were held across the state to pay tribute to the late leader.

BJD MP Tathagat Satpathy, who is also the son of the late leader, hailed the efforts of his mother and described her as a great chief minister. "She had shown how women in the state could enter politics without reservation. The chief minister has empowered women of the state by unveiling the statue of Nandini Satpathy," said the MP.

Nandini was first elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962 when she was 31. She was minister of state for information and broadcasting between 1966 and 1969. She was also elected to the state Assembly seven times between 1972 and 2000 and went on to become chief minister of the state twice.

During her tenure as chief minister she had undertaken a number of initiatives including police reforms. The state also witnessed growth in the areas of rural development, education and art and culture during her tenure. She had also brought in the Land Reforms Act, which freed lands from the hands of individuals who were not farmers. She died on August 4, 2006, at the age of 75.

Several other organisations in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Dhenkanal, Baripada and Sambalpur in the state and in Delhi, Mumbai, Gurgaon and Bangalore also paid tribute to the leader.