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OSA Convention '06
37th Annual OSA Convention June 30- July2 2006 was
held in the city of Columbia, Maryland, USA, at two venues, Sheraton Hotel and Wilde Lake
High School.
After usual registration of delegates the night of June 30 reverberated with
Children’s mehfil, item of Indian songs and dances which filled every night from 10
to 12 midnight.
Convention was inaugurated at 1.30 P.M. on July 1 with Minister Finance Shri Prafulla
Chandra Gadhei and Minister Energy & IT Shri Suryanarayan Patra, MP & Chairman
IndoUS Parliamentary Forum Shri Baijayanta Panda, along with MLA Shri Kalpataru Das and
President NonResident Oriyas Facilitation Center & Ex-Chief Secretary Shri Sahadeva
Sahoo as Guests.
There were group discussions and seminars on various aspects of Orissa’s Development
like Higher and Primary Education, Quality of Teaching in Technical Colleges, Mathematics
and IT, Establishment of Institutes of Higher Learning and Centres of Excellence, Research
and Development Facilities in Pharmaceuticals and Fine Chemicals, Bridging the Digital
Divide, Microfinance, Basic Needs and Women’s Empowerment. The Chairman, Knowledge
Commission of India, Shri Sam Pitroda’s address to the OSA convention on
Orissa’s development was digitally shown to the audience.
The Ministers, the FD Minister in particular in their address to the convention
acknowledged the extraordinary interests the NROs are showing in Orissa’s culture and
economic development and assured to help the NROs set up the exemplary institutions and
institutions of excellence as they have planned and are planning in future. They
emphasized that the present State Government has the political will to execute long term
development programmes for Orissa. The County Executive and the local people’s
representative of Columbia city addressed the gathering. Shri Sahadeva Sahoo, President,
NROFC, invited every body to attend the Pravasi Oriya Diwas on December 24, 2006 at
Bhubaneswar. The two day convention was a show case of Orissa’s culture, performing
arts and songs by the NROs and also by Orissa’s troupes and singers who had attended
it.
The events were ably executed by the president, OSA, Shri N Tripathy and Vice President
Shri Dhirendra Kar, in cooperation with Shri N Das and Mrs Bigyani Das.
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