Paradeep (Odisha) [India], March 7 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah accepted a portrait of Lord Jagannath from devotee Annata Biswal during the inauguration of Sulphuric Acid Plant 3 (SAP-III) at the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) unit in Paradeep.
The Home Minister invited Biswal onto the stage to personally acknowledge the artwork and shared a brief interaction with him.
Annata Biswal, while speaking to ANI on Friday, said, "...I am feeling very happy that Union Home Minister Amit Shah called me on stage...He also shook hands with me...PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are taking the nation forward by taking everyone along..."
During the event, Shah highlighted the government's plans to strengthen rural livelihoods in Odisha by establishing a robust dairy cooperative network, inspired by the successful model of Gujarat. He emphasised that the initiative aims to economically empower women, especially from tribal communities and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
After inaugurating the third stream of the Sulphuric Acid Plant (SAP-III) at the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) unit in Paradeep, he said the expansion would also support India's push toward self-reliance in fertiliser production.
"Today in Gujarat, through 3.6 million rural women, Amul became a movement, and today Amul does business worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore. Its profit, down to every penny, goes to the women cattle herders of Gujarat. Similarly, we will explore the full potential of Odisha to enrich the tribal and OBC mothers and sisters here," Shah said.
He added that both the central and state governments would work together to introduce dairy cooperatives across villages in the state. "In the coming days, both the Bharatiya Janata Party governments will take up the programme of bringing dairy to every village in Odisha, just as it is in Gujarat," he said.
Calling it his first public event in the state after the 2024 elections, Shah also thanked the people of Odisha for supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I want to express my deep gratitude to my Odia brothers and sisters for liberating Odisha from the rule of another state after such a long time," he said.