Odisha Deputy CM Pravati Parida Launches Advika Barta Youth Initiative

17 Jun 2026, 09:43 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

In a notable move toward making governance more youth-inclusive, the Odisha Government held its annual ‘Advika Barta’ programme on Tuesday—a unique, statewide platform for dialogue. This initiative hands adolescents a unique opportunity to speak directly with policymakers, making sure their voices actively shape decisions at the state level. The event coincided with Raja Parba and took place under the broader ‘A Day for Children’ framework. It drew support from a coalition including the Odisha Government, the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), and UNICEF.

Every district in Odisha was represented during the two-hour session. Some adolescent boys and girls who are part of local Advika groups joined in person at the Convention Centre in Bhubaneswar, while parallel activities ran at Lok Seva Bhawan. At the same time, their peers across all 30 districts joined virtually with their district administrators and officials. To spread the word about youth leadership, organizers streamed the entire session live on various digital platforms.

Odisha’s Deputy Chief Minister and Women and Child Development Minister, Pravati Parida, took a hands-on role, engaging directly with the young participants. The adolescents raised questions, shared experiences from the ground, pressing topics like education, healthcare, safety, gender equality, child rights, leadership, and skill development. Parida made it clear that the state is committed to youth-led growth, stressing how essential real feedback from young people is for building welfare schemes and pushing policies that include everyone.

The event attracted both state and international dignitaries who praised its design. Among them were OSCPCR Chairperson Babita Patra, Odisha State Commission for Women Chairperson Sovana Mohanty, and UNICEF’s Odisha Chief of Field Office, Prasanta Dash. Dash singled out Odisha’s approach to child participation as particularly impressive, arguing that real grassroots input from children and adolescents gives public policy more strength and transforms youth into genuine partners in building the nation.