India, Sept. 24 -- In Odisha, Modi's impact is increasingly visible - in roads and railways, ports and airports, investment and tribal development. The larger question is whether this Centre-State partnership is doing more than building infrastructure: is it reshaping Odisha's place in India's economic landscape?

On September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 76. Birthdays like this usually bring out tributes. I could write one easily enough. But I'd rather ask a simpler question. It's the kind of question a state government owes its own people. Has this leadership actually changed how Odisha grows? I think it has. I want to walk you through 'why' and 'how'.

This question isn't abstract for me. For Odisha, a state long rich in min...