On June 20th, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will lead a delegation to Rome and Dubai. The World Food Program (WFP) has invited Patnaik to visit its headquarters in Rome and share Odisha’s transformative initiatives in food security and disaster management.
Odisha has transformed itself from a food deficit state to a food surplus state, contributing to the country’s public distribution system. Odisha has emerged as a model in disaster management, having suffered severe losses during the 1999 super cyclone.
Patnaik will meet with WFP Executive Director Mr. David Beasley and senior WFP leadership. He will have in-depth discussions about Odisha’s partnership with WFP and future projects that will help the state ensure long-term food security.
Chief Minister Patnaik will meet His Holiness Pope Francis in The Holy See, Vatican, during his visit to Rome.
The Chief Minister will also meet with the Odia diaspora from across Europe. He will discuss potential ways to engage the diaspora in promoting Odisha’s art and culture while also allowing them to participate in the state’s transformational journey.
Patnaik will meet with investors from the Middle East and neighboring regions in Dubai on his way back. He will extend an invitation to potential investors to come and invest in Odisha, assuring them of the State Government’s full support and facilitation. He will also meet with some of the region’s major investors one-on-one. During the investor’s meeting, an Odisha high-level industrial delegation will be present to discuss potential partnerships with foreign investors.
The Chief Minister will meet with the Odia Diaspora in the Middle East in Dubai to discuss Odisha’s transformational journey over the last two decades and invite them to collaborate with the State government.
Chief Secretary Suresh Mohapatra, Secretary to the Chief Minister (5T) V K Pandian, Principal Secretary Food and Civil Supplies V V Yadav, Principal Secretary Industries Hemant Sharma, and Resident Commissioner in New Delhi Ravi Kant are among the delegation members.