[Watch] Bureaucrat drives Odisha CM to I-Day celebration venue

Bhubaneswar:  Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been refraining himself from going outside to attend various official programmes due to COVID-19, today stepped outside to attend the state-level Independence Day celebration here today.

And, his Private Secretary V Karthikeyan Pandian, who is considered to be his most-trusted person, drove Patnaik to the venue at Exhibition Ground this morning. While Pandian, who is also the Secretary of the state Government’s flagship 5T Initiative, drove a white  Maruti Suzuki SX4, Patnaik wearing a mask sat on the front seat.

[Watch video]

Due to prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, the CM is attending various official programmes, including inauguration of five plasma banks, through video conferencing. However, the CM had visited his office at Lok Seva Bhawan on the day of Ratha Jatra.

Worth mentioning, a low-key celebration marked the 74th Independence Day in Odisha this year due to COVID-19 pandemic. Only a three platoons of police force participated in the parade at the state-level celebration here.