‘Bande Utkal Janani’ brought together people from all walks of life as they sang the State song in chorus to boost the morale of frontline warriors fighting against coronavirus across the State. The two km stretch of Malkangiri main road reverberated with the anthem as over 1,000 people sang the anthem while maintaining social distancing. At the Khairput block office, several Bonda women, dressed in the tribe’s traditional attire, recited the song. In Swabhiman Anchal, people stood on the Gurupriya bridge and sang in unison.
In Jharsuguda, Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das, Collector Saroj Kumar Samal and SP Rahul PR were among those gathered at the Bus Stand Square. The town came to a standstill as people responded to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s call to laud those who have been leading from the front in the fight against Covid-19.
Doctors, nurses and anganwadi workers were felicitated for their relentless efforts to treat patients affected by the pandemic. The Steel City and the rest of Sundargarh district too joined the State to appreciate the work of coronavirus warriors. Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan along with RMC Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida led a team of sanitary workers, police personnel and general public to mark the momentous occasion.
In Sambalpur, people from different walks of life sang in unison at 5.30 pm sharp. The officials of the district administration joined them from the new Chaunrpur bridge in the city. Collector Subham Saxena; DIG Northern Range Himanshu Lal, SP Kanwar Vishal Singh and RDC Niranjan Sahu along with other officials took part in the novel initiative. However, members of Kosala Rajya Samanwaya Samiti, as a mark of protest sang the national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ instead of Bande Utkal Janani near Gandhi Chowk in Bargarh town.