Bhubaneswar, Dec 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released a stamp and a coin to commemorate the Paika rebellion of 1817 in Odisha.
He also inaugurated the new campus of IIT-Bhubaneswar, built at a cost of Rs 1,660 crore, and launched a slew of projects worth Rs 14,523 crore for the state.
The Paika Rebellion, many claim, was the first war of Independence against the British.
Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan among others were present on the occasion.
In the early 1800s, the farming community of Odisha had risen in rebellion when the British started tinkering with the revenue system.
Bakshi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar, the military chief of the King of Khurda, had led his army of Paikas forcing the British East India Company forces to retreat. The rebellion of 1817 came to be known as Paika Bidroh (Paika rebellion. Paiks were traditional landed militia under the state’s Gajapati rulers.
Demon of corruption becoming strong in Odisha: PM
Khurda (Odisha), Dec 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday hit out at the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government in Odisha, saying the “demon of corruption” in various sectors has become strong in the state.
Modi, who launched a slew of projects for the state and released a stamp and a coin to commemorate Odisha’s 1817 Paika rebellion, was addressing a BJP rally in Khurda town.
The prime minister in an apparent jibe at the BJD government, asked,”Who is feeding the demon (of corruption)?”
“The demon of corruption has grown in chit fund, PC (percentage commission) culture… The truth of Odisha’s development is not hidden. Farmers, women are raising their voice,” he said.
He also hit out at the Odisha government for not adopting the Centre’s mega health scheme Ayushman Bharat.
“People of the state are asking why they have been deprived of the
benefits of the health scheme which is available in other states of the country,” Modi said.
Polls in Odisha are due to be held along with the general elections.
