In order to honour individuals who have made a difference in society by showing exceptional courage, enthusiasm, and integrity, The Outlook Group has instituted the annual ‘Speak Out Awards’. This award is especially for those few individuals who stand up for what they believe in despite all odds and it is also an attempt to motivate people by upholding their example to come forward in becoming change agents. A step by step stringent process of selecting the awardees is undertaken each year. This year the award has been conferred on the Odisha Chief Minister Mr. Naveen Patnaik. He is being recognized as the Best Administrator in India.

Mr. Patnaik has been awarded for his exemplary work during the natural calamities that had affected Odisha. Odisha had been severely devastated many times with floods and cyclones during his seventeen-year tenure. Branolia Chemical Works congratulates the Chief Minister of Odisha for winning this prestigious award.

Background and Political Career

Naveen Patnaik was born in Cuttack (Odisha) on October 16th,1946 to Biju Patnaik, a famous politician, and Janata Dal leader. He joined politics after the death of his father and was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha as a Janta Dal candidate. He became the Chief Minister of Odisha for the third time in the year 2009. The 2014 elections saw him winning by a huge margin. Mr. Patnaik is known and revered as a clean politician. The 71-year-old politician is known for his good work which changed the face of Odisha.

Outlook India magazine had conducted an online survey and Mr. Patnaik from Odisha was placed along with chief ministers of five other states. However, the good work that had been done by Naveen Patanaik helped him to win the race as the best administrator.

Awards and Accolades

Naveen Patnaik has won various awards and accolades for being a change agent and an expert in disaster management. He had been recognized by the United Nations for timely evacuating and saving the lives of more than a million people ahead of the tropical cyclonic storm Phailin. He has also been voted as the most popular chief minister by the India Group and the NDTV Opinion Poll respectively. He is also the founder-member of the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and has authored three nonfiction books.

Naveen Patnaik is a misfit in the existing political scenario. This Odisha Chief Minister believes in maintaining a low profile and holds the opinion that his work will speak for itself. He is well-known to exude an aura of self-confidence and strength as one of the longest serving chief ministers in present day India.When Naveen Pattanaik became the chief minister for the first time in 2000, Odisha was ranked amongst the poorest state in the country.^[1]

However, things have changed under the able leadership of Naveen Pattanaik. Today the economy of Odisha is one of the fastest growing economies in India, which is much better than the national average. The present GDP growth rate stands at 8.8%. The entire state is proud of his achievement.

Reference:

1. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/PCA_Highlights/pca_highlights_file/Odisha/Executive_Summary.pdf).