When Naveen doesn't empower, he just watches

What does Naveen mean to imply when he wrote that column for Indian Express? For once, he doesn't quite seem to agree with the backward tag given to Orissa. Rather, he babbles about how girls from this backward state represent the country at a kids' meet in Beijing or women taking over pani panchyats.

Sadly, these are isolated cases. And how can the State government claim credit for the two girls visit to Beijing. The two went on a trip sponsored by UNICEF. A look at Naveen' s Orissa tells a different tale. Crimes against women are rising. Minors are being employed as domestic helps and continue to be tortured, physically, mentally, sexually. No index, including the infant mortality rate or malaria prevalence rate seems to have wiped out the `backward' sticker from his state.

Sadly, women command a murmur when it comes to having a say in how panchayatiraj institutions(PRIs) are governed. Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyer who recently toured the state found out that `PRIs exist but dont function'. So much were the complains by the villagers that State PRI minister Damodar Rout had to act as translator often skipping the acrid parts....

And speaking of corruption shadowing development, what has Naveen done to cleanse the system? Raids on few Govt officials by the Vigilance isn't the only way out . The man who is going to head the information commission in his State is yet to shake off the tainted image. Would Naveen care to explain how does he plan to eliminate corruption which according to him is "a stumbling block for all those rural women"....