Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has accorded State song status to Vande Utkal Janani.

The State cabinet, which met here on Sunday under the chairmanship of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, approved the proposal for declaring the Vande Utkal Janani song written by Kanta Kabi Lakshmikanta Mohapatra as State song. This was the lone proposal that came before the cabinet on Sunday.

Briefing the cabinet decision, the parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshri Arukh said that the I & PR department will prepare the tune and timing of the song. The song will be played without music in official functions.

However, the minister said, that there is no restriction on creative tune for the song.