Bhubaneswar: Marking the completion of his second year in office, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday flagged the impact of El Niño and youth employment as key challenges for his govt. During an interaction with the media, Majhi also dismissed concerns over law and order as politically motivated, and termed Iskcon’s untimely Rath Yatra abroad as “bedharmi” (unrighteous).Calling El Niño a natural phenomenon, Majhi said Odisha remains prepared to tackle recurring disasters such as floods, cyclones and nor’westers, even as the India Meteorological Department confirmed onset of El Niño conditions over the equatorial Pacific.Highlighting employment as another major concern, he said lack of at least one earning member per family leads to hardship. “Ensuring jobs — whether in govt, through schemes or in the private sector — is critical for social stability,” he said.The govt has provided nearly 50,000 jobs in the public sector so far in two years and will continue recruitment as promised, the CM said. He added that industrialisation has helped secure around two lakh private-sector jobs, backed by investment intents worth Rs 20 lakh crore, approvals exceeding Rs 8 lakh crore, and projects worth Rs 3.5 lakh crore already grounded. The target, he said, is to generate 10 lakh jobs.Majhi said his govt’s two-year focus on “Vikas ra dhara, Odisha sara” aims to remove regional imbalances, adding that the Northern and Southern Odisha Development Councils will soon be made functional. He also said a new chief for the Western Odisha Development Council will be appointed shortly. “We are committed to ensuring balanced development across all regions,” he said.Majhi, meanwhile, dismissed criticism about law and order as politically motivated. “The debate has been given a political colour. I have repeatedly asked — in which serious criminal case has the accused not been arrested? No one has an answer,” he said, asserting that strong action has been taken in all major cases.Majhi said strengthening policing remains a priority, with 21,186 new posts created along with necessary infrastructure. He also flagged gaps in basic amenities, slammed the previous govt for the same and noted that even after 79 years of independence, some villages lacked electricity, drinking water and all-weather roads.“Mission Power has been launched to ensure universal access by 2027,” Majhi said, adding that work is progressing on a war footing.Regarding economic performance, the CM said Odisha has maintained growth above the national average while adhering to fiscal discipline. The state has been recognised for financial management by NITI Aayog and the Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management, he added.Defending the “double-engine govt”, Majhi cited railway projects worth around Rs 90,000 crore and road projects exceeding Rs 30,000 crore, along with new central institutions. He also referred to the removal of the term “dham” from the Digha Jagannath temple as a recent example of coordination with the Centre.To a question on untimely Rath Yatra abroad by Iskcon, Majhi said such “bedharmi” acts are not good and said his govt would do whatever it should in the matter.
