Naveen Patnaik is the Present and 14th Chief Minister of the Indian state of Odisha. He is an Indian politician and the leader of the regional political party, Biju Janata Dal, in Orissa. Naveen Patnaik is known for his significant work in international recognition of Indian designs and also for his works with handloom weavers to enlarge home market for Indian textiles. Apart from being a politician, Patnaik is also an esteemed author who has written three books and several articles.
Early Life of Naveen Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik was born on October 16th, 1946; Naveen Patnaik was born at Cuttack, Odisha to the parents, Biju Patnaik and Gyan Patnaik. When Patnaik was only 7 years old, he was sent to Welham Boys School in Dehradun. He later attended The Doon School, Dehradun and studied there until he passed out with a Senior Cambridge Certificate at the age of seventeen. During his school days, Naveen Patnaik excelled in History, Oil painting and athletics. He went on to Delhi University at the age of 20 years to obtain his Bachelor`s Degree in Arts.
Political Career of Naveen Patnaik
Upon the death of his father, Naveen Patnaik returned from U.S. and entered the field of politics. After sometime he founded the Biju Janata Dal after his father`s name Biju Patnaik. It later won the state election with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as its alliance. Naveen Patnaik was appointed as the chief minister of this group. From Aska Parliamentary Constituency, he was elected as Member of the 11th Lok Sabha in by-election. He has served as a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel and Mines and also as the Member of Standing Committee on Commerce. Patnaik also held the post of the Member of Library Committee of Parliament. His party is part of the National Democratic Alliance. . The Biju Janata Dal won a resonant victory in both the Vidhan Sabha and the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, achieving 14 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats and 103 of the 147 assembly seats. Patnaik was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Odisha on 21st May, 2009 for the 3rd successive term. He and its political party won an enormous triumph in both 2014 Indian General Elections and the Legislative Assembly of Odisha elections. There Biju Janata Dal secured 20 out of the 21 Lok Sabha Seats of Odisha and 117 of the 147 Odisha Vidhan Sabha Seats.
Naveen Patnaik as an author
Naveen Patnaik is an originator member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). He has also authored three books, A Second Paradise: Indian Country Life 1590-1947, A Desert Kingdom: The people of Bikaner and the Garden of Life: An introduction to the Healing Plants of India, each one published in India, England and USA. For cultural and environmental publications, Naveen Patnaik has regularly contributed articles.
Awards of Naveen Patnaik
Naveen Patnaik was honoured by the United Nations for an attempt to evacuate nearly a million people ahead of tropical storm in Odisha that made a landfall on coastal areas in October 2013. Naveen Patnaik was also honoured with the award of India Today, known as Indian Today Jury Award by the Former Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management, Shri Suryanarayan Patra in December 2013.
