Bhubaneswar: Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said that until our citizens unite, the dream of the Viksit (developed) Odisha cannot be achieved.
“It is high time, the government, civil society and the people worked together to build a VikshitOdisha,” Chief Secretary Shri Ahuja said while addressing the audience on the 43rd Foundation Day of the Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) here on Monday.
Secretary Social Security & Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD), R S Gopalan graced the occasion.
Chief Secretary Shri Ahuja emphasized the need for efficient public service delivery, underlining that delays at Common Service Centers (CSCs), a key part of the Digital India initiative, must be addressed.
Shri Ahuja advocated for the introduction of a social audit system and highlighted the Odisha Right to Public Services (ORTPS) Act, which has provisions to penalize service delays.
Encouraging a people-friendly governance system, he urged officials to treat people with respect and ensure that public services are easily accessible.
Shri Ahuja lauded CYSD’s efforts in ensuring that government schemes and initiatives reach the most marginalized communities. He acknowledged that CYSD, along with community participation, has played a key role in materializing several government programmes. He also released the report of the “OdishaVikash Conclave (OVC)”, a multi-stakeholder platform uniting civil society, academia, corporates and communities to drive inclusive development and policy advocacy in Odisha.
R S Gopalan, Secretary, SSEPD Department stated, “We must look at the problems from a people’s perspective and make systems easier for them.”
Jagadananda, co-founder of CYSD, provided an overview of the organisation’s 43-year journey and highlighted its pioneering role in Right to Information (RTI) advocacy; social audits for transparency; tribal empowerment and development; and youth engagement in electoral awareness.
CYSD’s Program Director, Basant Nayak, outlined the organisation’s grassroots impact across 235 Gram Panchayats in 12 districts – providing livelihood support to 1.4 lakh farmers; nurturing 1,300 young community leaders; supporting 3,000 grassroots organisations; and connecting 36,000 people with entitlements under various schemes.
Prafulla Kumar Sahu, Founder, CYSD, Padmashree Tulsi Munda and Founder of Gram Vikas, Joe Madiath were present on the occasion and shared their experiences in social work, encouraged the volunteers and workers.