Naveens maiden foreign jaunt as CM from May 22

BHUBANESWAR:  Naveen Patnaik will embark on his first-ever foreign visit in 12 years as the Chief Minister to the United Kingdom from May 22.  The nine-day visit will be for strengthening the partnership between the State Government and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and seeking assistance in priority sectors. Naveen had spent several years abroad before he joined politics in 1997. Sources said issues like poverty and malnutrition would be discussed with experts during the visit. Besides holding discussion with the DFID, the Chief Minister will open the first-ever exhibition on Odisha Handloom in London. Handloom and handicraft products of the State have always attracted people in the UK and other European countries. Naveen will be accompanied by a delegation comprising Textile and Handlooms Minister Usha Devi and Minister of State for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Ramesh Majhi and several officials, including principal secretary in Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Aditya Prasad Padhi and V Karthikeyan, private secretary to the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister is scheduled to return on May 30. Odisha is one of the focus states of DFID which is extending support in various sectors like health, education, public sector enterprises and other allied activities. The delegation will also hold talks with experts of the International Development Studies (IDS), Sussex, on the issues.