Lal Bihari Himirika

Bhubaneswar, Nov. 6: A list of assets published by the state government has revealed that Lal Bihari Himirika is poorest minister in the Naveen Patnaik’s cabinet. The richest, according to the list, is the chief minister himself though most of his wealth is inherited.

However, the modest Rs 18 lakh worth of movable and immovable assets in the possession of Himirika, who till 2000 was working as a daily wage labourer in a paper mill in Rayagada, comes as no surprise as he still remains humble to the core.

Elected to the Assembly from Rayagada on a BJD ticket for the first time in 2000, Himirika continues to own an old ambassador car with a market value of Rs 40,000. He has a small house at his village Penta in Rayagada worth Rs 3 lakh. The agricultural land, which he inherited from his father, is worth around Rs 2.9 lakh. He also has a plot in Rayagada having a value of Rs 1,71,000. In his wife’s name, he has two plots with a total value of Rs 2.01 lakh.

Himirika said: “My father left a few acres of land for me and I will leave the same for my sons. My four sons and two daughters have to chalk out their own course of life.”

The property list submitted by Himirika in 2000 and 2011 are not much different. However, over the past 10 years he has saved Rs 1,68,351, mostly from his salary, in bank. Himirika’s wife has saved Rs 1,86,014 for over the past 30 years.

The total cost of his movable and immovable property pegged at Rs 18 lakh.

The SC and ST development minister started his career as a labourer at one JK Paper Mill in Rayagada in 1972 and retired as operator-cum-fitter in 2000. “I started with a daily wage of Rs 2 and retired with a salary of Rs 6,000. However, despite all troubles, my wife continues with her saving habit. I still draw a pension of Rs 700.”

Apart from the bank deposits, Himirika has gold ornaments of Rs 3 lakh and silver ornaments worth Rs 50,000.

He pays life insurance premiums of Rs 20,937 to LIC while the minister’s wife pays premiums worth Rs 3,520 to LIC and Rs 10,000 to Reliance Life Insurance. He also has 25 shares of Rs 100 each of a state-based company.

Though Himirika is the poorest, 12 of Naveen’s colleagues are crorepatis. Naveen has assets worth Rs 11.50 crore, most of which the chief minister has inherited. He has immovable assets of 22.7 acres and building in Faridabad district of Haryana. He is also entitled to two-third properties at Naveen Niwas, amounting to Rs 2.80 crore and one third of properties at Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi worth Rs 5.14 crore and one third of Tulsipur property worth Rs 51,000.

Naveen has a bank balance of Rs 8.16 lakh and jewellery ornaments of Rs 1.48 lakh. He also owns an ambassador car.