Bhubaneswar, April 8: Both the BJP and the Congress today criticised the youth policy announced by Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday. They dubbed it an “election stunt”.

National youth wing vice-president of the BJP Bhrigu Buxipatra said it was not a long-term policy, but an election manifesto of the BJD to attract youngsters.

The policy has provisions for free laptops to meritorious students at the Plus Two level, annual scholarship of Rs 40,000 for girls (of BPL section) pursuing vocational training, Rs 10,000 grant to youth clubs, computer facilities for all secondary schools and setting up of a State Institute of Open Learning to check dropout rates. “The government should have a vision for the coming 25 years. However, the policy was only announced keeping in view the coming elections,” said Buxipatra.

All India Congress Committee in charge of Odisha affairs, Jagdish Tytler said if the government was so thoughtful about the welfare of the youth, it could have come out with this policy earlier. “As the elections are approaching, Naveen announced the so-called youth policy to woo the young voters,” he said. The minister said the sops announced in the policy were all part of the central government schemes. “Naveen and his party are just trying to hoodwink the youths,” he said.

Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik said the unemployment rate had increased considerably in the past 13 years. “What had the Naveen Patnaik government been doing all these years,” he said. Tytler today visited Berhampur to interact with block Congress presidents regarding selection of party candidates for the coming elections. He met the presidents of block units in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

“Today, I met 42 block presidents. I will meet the others during subsequent visits,” he said.