Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to give his birthday celebrations a miss in view of the COVID-19 situation in the state. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief turns 74 on Friday.
Instead, he asked his supporters, BJD activists not to pay a visit to his residence, Naveen Nivas, and instead help the needy and donate blood and plasma on the occasion.
"I am always indebted to the love and good wishes of the people of Odisha," Patnaik said.
This will be the third consecutive year the BJD supremo will give his birthday celebrations a miss. Earlier, Patnaik did not celebrate his birthday last year due to Cyclone Fani and in 2018 owing to Cyclone Titli that ravaged the state.
In 2016, he refused to celebrate his birthday as a mark of solidarity with the jawans killed in the Uri terror attack.
Odisha has reported 2,62,011 coronavirus cases, while 1,089 patients have succumbed to the infection so far.
