Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
NROFC, a private organization headed by a retired IAS officer makes a nexus with the State Government to use the official NRO Cell for awarding Prabasi Prativa Samman to the most genius amongst the Non-Resident-Oriyas.
Conscious and competent NROs attract attention to the absence of transparency in the venture and make repeated requests to NROFC to postpone the award till a norm is formed and codified so that selection for the award does not succumb to nepotism or favoritism. They also appeal to the Chief Minister, as the official NRO cell was partnering, to intervene and keep the award in abeyance till norm of selection is finalized.
But the Chief Minister sloughs over their appeal and allows the official NRO Cell to be used by the private design to decorate a person chosen arbitrarily with the award touted as Prabasi Pratibha Samman.
And, it ends up giving an award on December 23 to a NRO, Prof. Laxminarayan Bhuyan in the name of a private trader, Ruchi! What a farce!
Perhaps no wiser trick could have been more sparklingly played by a private trader on our NROs in the guise of awarding Prabasi Pratibha.