Former Odisha Minister Jadunath Das Mohapatra passes away

ONI Bureau:  Former Education Minister of Odisha Jadunath Das Mohapatra passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday afternoon. He was 90.

Born on January 3, 1929, Mohapatra was a well-known poet, dramatist and student leader.

He had joined the Congress in 1962 and elected as the general secretary of the Balasore District Congress Committee and later became its president for three years from 1967 to 1970.

A three-time MLA, Mohapatra was elected to the Odisha Assembly in March 1971 from his home constituency Soro as a candidate of the Utkal Congress and served as deputy finance minister in 1972 in the cabinet of former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy. In 1977 he re-elected as Congress MLA from Soro and was the Education minister in the cabinet of former Chief Minister Janaki Ballav Patnaik.

Mohapatra authored Odia novels including ‘Gramya Nadira Tire’, ‘Bibhisika’, ‘Manisha Rajyaran Jale, ‘Mruta Drama’, ‘Parasamani’, ‘Suryamandira’, ‘Sangram’, ‘Bhulihuena, ‘Khyama Karibeki’, ‘Setubandha’ and ‘Mukha Darpana’.

He won the Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967 for his book on one-act plays ‘Athaba Andhara’.