In Odisha, Modi’s impact is increasingly visible — in roads and railways, ports and airports, investment and tribal development. The larger question is whether this Centre-State partnership is doing more than building infrastructure: is it reshaping Odisha’s place in India’s economic landscape?

On September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76. Birthdays like this usually bring out tributes. I could write one easily enough. But I’d rather ask a simpler question. It’s the kind of question a state government owes its own people. Has this leadership actually changed how Odisha grows? I think it has. I want to walk you through ‘why’ and ‘how’.

This question isn’t abstract for me. For Odisha, a state long rich in mineral wealth but historically kept on the edge of national economic planning, the answer isn’t just rhetorical but measurable. You can see it in rail connectivity, in port capacity and in investment inflows. A policy architecture called Purvodaya now treats eastern India’s growth as central and not something of secondary importance.

From welfare list to growth strategy

The Prime Minister’s idea of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas gets talked about mostly in political terms. The more useful test for me is administrative. Has it actually changed who gets access to the state? In Odisha’s case, it has. Our tribal communities make up 23 per cent of the state’s population. They used to be treated mainly as a welfare category.........

© The Pioneer