Bhubaneswar: The state government's reported decision to reserve spots at prominent places for the government to put up hoardings displaying its various achievements has evoked criticism from the Opposition.
Sources said the state government had written to district collectors asking them to reserve prominent hoarding spaces for its own use.
The government has already put up big hoardings highlighting its achievements and successes under various schemes like the Re 1-a-kg rice scheme, Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana at prominent places across the city. Big hoardings were also seen at Puri during the recent rath yatra.
The government is also going to launch Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana on August 15, under which health care worth Rs 5 lakh would be given to each family.
Also, the chief minister's recently announced state's own food security scheme to cover around 34.44 lakh beneficiaries left out of the National Food Security Scheme would be launched from October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.
Use of plastic and polythene materials will be banned in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Berhampur, Sambalpur and Rourkela from October 2. Political pundits believe the state government would definitely leave no stone unturned to grab these opportunities to attract the attention of the people, ahead of the elections.
Opposition Congress and BJP have alleged the move to reserve the hoardings at prominent places for government advertisements was to deny the opportunity to the Opposition parties publicizing their achievements and views.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik said: "The state government has grabbed the hoardings all the prominent places so that only government advertisements containing chief minister Naveen Patnaik's photographs can be put up and no one else will get the scope for publicity."
BJP leader Golak Mohapatra said: "It is the game plan of the ruling party not to allow the photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said: "There is no wrong to put before the people government schemes and programme so that they will be aware about such programmes and benefit from them. But the Opposition is just smelling politics in this."
