Interviewtimes 
Whatever be the role or purpose, Aparajita Sarangi has never missed the arc lights of adulation. In her previous incarnate as the self-willed, result driven IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, Aparajita showed ample instincts as the iron lady doggedly striving to turn around the face of administration. Her penchant for perfection was manifested in her roles as the Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and secretary with the department of school & mass education in Odisha. Her stint as the BMC Commissioner saw Aparajita spearheading the ‘Clean Bhubaneswar- Green Bhubaneswar campaign’ which roped in the private sector to foster sustainable growth of the city through a win-win partnership. In her avatar as the no-nonsense secretary, Aparajita unveiled a suite of momentous reforms in the realm of school & mass education sector in Odisha.
Ever since she chucked her IAS job and turned a politician, Aparajita has been wedded to the cause of the people at the grassroots. As the incumbent MP of the prestigious Bhubaneswar constituency, she can be noticed reaching out to people, visiting slums and engaging feverishly with the locals to grasp their problems. She hogged the limelight lately, winning the ‘Best Parliamentarian’ Award for 2020. “Glad to hear about the survey results by Asia Post and Fame India organizations yesterday. Being adjudged as Best Parliamentarian for my performance during last year strengthens my resolve to work for the people with renewed vigour. Lots to learn. Am grateful to all.I am humbled”, she tweeted after being conferred with the honour.
Separately, Aparajita is visibly concerned over the spate of crimes and atrocities against women in Odisha. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2019 has placed Odisha at the second position among states to have witnessed the highest number of women molestation cases. The Bhubaneswar MP and national spokesperson of the party alleged that 17 BJP leaders and workers have been killed during the last three years and demanded that the government should share a status report of all these murders.
In a letter to Director General of Police (DGP) Abhay on January 6, Sarangi said it is the duty of the police to ensure maintenance of law and order and prevent continued perpetration of such heinous crime as BJP workers cannot be victims of political vendetta.
“If the state government fails to do so, then it will not be far when we will see West Bengal like scenario in Odisha,” she said. Sarangi has drawn his attention to the increasing crime rate in Odisha and the disproportionately low conviction rate. Alleging that instances of political violence, especially against BJP workers, have seen an upward trend in the last few years, she listed the names of 15 BJP workers killed during the 2017 panchayat polls and 2019 General Elections.
“The gruesome killings of Kulamani Baral and Divyasing Baral are an unfortunate addition to the list,” Sarangi said and added that in all the cases, either the culprits have not been nabbed or have got bail because of poor investigation.
The Bhubaneswar MP alleged that Odisha fared the worst among the states with an abysmal conviction rate of 5.7 percent in 2018 as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
Apart from speaking out loud against injustice, the MP has been in the thick of action for noble causes. In a humanitarian gesture, the sitting MP has launched ‘Annapurna’, a trust that will provide free food to people in need and work to make poor self-sufficient in food. The initiative aims at eradicating hunger from the society. Initially, the trust will work in the Capital City and gradually extend its service to other parts of the State. The trust has been formed with five organizations, Rotary International District 3262, So Am I Foundation, Umesh Khandelwal Foundation, Youth for Action and Art of Living Foundation. Sarangi, the chief advisor of the trust, said the new organization will provide healthy food to poor in need and work towards empowering them to fight hunger. Meal will be served to them on time, she said.
