Patnaik will attend a World Food Programme (WFP) ceremony in Rome and discuss Odisha’s revolutionary endeavours in the fields of food security and disaster management.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday met India’s Ambassador to Italy, Neena Malhotra, after reaching Rome as part of his 11-day foreign trip, CMO officials said.
Patnaik left Delhi early in the morning and reached the Eternal City later in the day. He wore spotless white kurta pyjama and slippers while meeting the Indian ambassador.
During his second official foreign tour in his 22-year-reign, the Odisha chief minister will also visit Vatican City and Dubai.
In Rome, Patnaik will attend a function of the World Food Programme (WFP) and share transformative initiatives of Odisha in the field of food security and disaster management.
On the occasion, he will also meet the WFP Executive Director David Beasley and other senior office-bearers and have detailed discussions on Odisha’s partnership with the organisation and future projects.
During his stay in Rome, Patnaik will meet Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, in Vatican City. He will also meet the Odia diaspora from various parts of Europe and discuss ways to engage the NRIs in promoting Odisha’s art and culture and also be a partner in the state’s transformational journey, the CMO officials said.
On his way back from Rome, Patnaik will meet potential investors from across West Asia in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. He will invite them to invest in Odisha.
Patnaik is also scheduled to have one-on-one meetings with some big potential investors from West Asia.
A high-level delegation from Odisha will also be present during the investors’ meeting on June 29 for possible partnerships with foreign investors.
Opposition BJP and Congress, meanwhile, criticised Patnaik for not taking any ministers in the delegation, which comprises only bureaucrats.
“Patnaik trusts babus, not ministers. The ministers in charge of industries, food supplies and revenue and disaster management could have been made part of the delegation,” BJP leader and former MLA Pradip Purohit said.
Suresh Routray, a senior Congress leader and MLA, said it was “inappropriate” for him to go on an official international travel without any ministers and only bureaucrats.
Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management Pramila Mallick, on the other hand, backed Patnaik, stating, “He knows everything about every department because he has been the chief minister for 22 years. There’s nothing wrong with him bringing authorities along.”
V K Pandian, the chief minister’s secretary, V V Yadav, the Food Supplies Department Principal Secretary, and Ravi Kant, Odisha’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi, are among the delegation’s members. In Dubai, they will be joined by Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra.
On the evening of June 30, the delegation will return to Odisha.
Prasanta Patnaik