Bhubaneswar:BJD supremo and Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik Friday appointed former top cop Arup Patnaik as the chief of Odisha- Mo Parivar programme of the party.

The former police commissioner of Mumbai Arup Patnaik is the convener, while MP Pinaki Mishra, Achyut Samant, Chandra Sekher Sahoo, MLA Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and former works secretary Nalinikanta Pradhan were co-conveners of the BJD’s new programme.

Flagging of the Odisha-Mo Parivar, the BJD president said that the party would take up programmes to protect the environment, encourage blood donations and help Odias stranded in other States and foreign countries.

Patnaik said: “Odisha’s 4.5 crore people are my family. I have always been working for their welfare. I have flagged off the Mo-Parivar programme to take social welfare projects forward.”

He said that Odisha-Mo Parivar is a tribute to the late Biju Patnaik, who always worked for the welfare of the people in the State, lending support to the poor and needy people.