You are being criticised for your department's teacher-on-call scheme (hiring of retired teachers). With the
Assembly session beginning from September 21, how are you going to face it?
The retired teachers to be hired under the scheme should be treated as guest teachers rather than teacher-on-call. It is entirely a stop-gap arrangement. We have the duty to fill up the vacancies, so that the studies are not affected. At the same time, the recruitment process is on. Retired teachers only up to the age of 65 can be engaged. We have earmarked Rs 27 crore for the scheme. The retired teachers can work for 20 days a month and get a consolidated pay of Rs 10,000. There are many BJP and Congress-ruled states, which have introduced similar programmes to address the issue of vacancies.
Union minister of state for petroleum Dharmendra Pradhan, too, has expressed concern over it and equated the teacher-on-call with Ola and Uber services...
We have great respect for the teachers' community. They cannot be compared with OLA or Uber drivers. Pradhan should not have made such a statement. I don’t want to enter into a “badi pala” (verbal duel) with him every day. We are doing our duty and are trying to fill up the vacancies in a phased manner.
But teachers too are agitating over the issue…
Why are you blaming the state always? The Centre has a similar voluntary teacher scheme, which is being implemented in the Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas. In fact, the scheme was discussed during a meeting held by the Union government in New Delhi.
How many posts of teachers are lying vacant in the state?
There were 36,000 vacancies of teachers at the primary level. We have already filled up nearly 21,000 of these posts and are in the process of filling up another seven to eight thousand posts. At the high school level, there are 3,000 vacancies. With teachers retiring every year, the number of vacancies in the high schools may go up to 9,000. We are in the process of filling up all these vacancies after finance department’s approval.
But, we have noticed that more than one lakh teachers are working on contract basis despite the fact that we have trained BEd and certified training teachers available...
There is a general administration department guideline that says teachers can be regularised only after six years of service. We are doing that. But, we cannot take teachers from a common pool. If we do this, it will be challenged in the court of law and struck down. There is a mandatory provision under the Right to Education Act (RTE) that trained teachers have to be recruited through proper examination. Even the ministry of human resource development had asked us in the past as to why we are not appointing trained teachers by conducting an eligibility test. Keeping this in mind, we have introduced the Odisha Teachers' Eligibility Test (OTET). This year, nearly 98,000 candidates appeared for it. We have also a plan to conduct an examination to recruit teachers at the secondary level.
Court cases are being filed almost every day by teachers challenging various orders of the department. How you will deal with these cases?
Yes, we are worried about it. Nearly 40 per cent of the government cases relate to the education department. Our job is to streamline the department's activities, so that the teachers get hassle-free service. We cannot interfere with the legal system. But, we are trying to strengthen our legal cells and the cell in the office of the advocate general, so that all the cases are taken up expeditiously for hearing.
The department has a responsibility towards students. With the beginning of the Assembly session next week, teachers will be hitting the streets which is bound to affect studies...
The teachers should not agitate for an indefinite period. They can voice their protest by wearing black badges. We have already addressed major problems of the teachers. There may be some anomalies, but these will also be sorted out. My sincere appeal to them is not to go on strike as it affects the student community at large.
You are also the industries minister. The chief minister had led a delegation to Bangalore last month to draw investments to the state. What was the outcome?
We had got an assurance for investments worth Rs 90,000 crore. Tamil Nadu-based Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited has assured us of investing around Rs 25,000 crore in the state. Besides the metal sector, we have got a good response from the biotechnology, green technology and the plastic industries. Even an industrial group from Angola has shown keen interest to invest $ 100 million in the plastic industry.
The state claimed in February that it had received an assurance of investments worth Rs 70,000 crore in the Mumbai conclave. But nothing has happened so far...
It takes two to three years for a proposal to materialise. National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) has started work on its projects worth Rs 20,500 crore according to its commitment. Similarly, Hindalco is pursuing its promise to invest Rs 11,500 crore.
Despite signing 100 MoUs in various sectors, the state is still struggling to catch up with other states in the field of industrialisation...
Please do not compare Rahul Over the years, Odisha has got an assurance of Rs 8 lakh crore worth investments. Eighty-two per cent of this promised investment is in the process of materialising. But, the global recession that had hit industries in the recent past slowed down work on these projects. Now, the situation has improved considerably and we are hopeful of gaining the required momentum. The IT giants from Silicon Valley have already visited the state.
Can we hope that South Korean steel major Posco will still set up its steel plant in Paradip?
I am not sure of this. They want captive mines and the Centre will have to take a call on the issue. If they relax the norms, Posco may take a favourable decision.
While Posco’s future is uncertain, Vedanta is still struggling to run its Lanjigarh alumina refinery because of shortage of raw material...
Vedanta chief Anil Agrawal had met the chief minister and discussed with him. We have assured him of providing mineral linkage to the plant through the Odisha Mining Corporation till legal issues concerning the Niyamgiri bauxite mines are resolved. The Vedanta has assured us of setting up an alumina park at Jharsuguda.
The state has raised the issue of tax concessions given to the Indian Oil Corporation’s refinery project in Paradip —which has led to a loss of Rs 2,000 crore. Should the concessions be withdrawn?
We have demanded that the Petroleum and Petro Chemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) be set up in the area and the IOCL play the role of an anchor tenant. If the PCPIR comes up, it will lead to value addition, and the state will benefit. If they set up the oil refinery only, Odisha will be the loser. In order to resolve the tax dispute, a committee has been formed under the Union petroleum secretary.
You were an integral part of the BJD delegation to Chhattisgarh to see the irrigation projects being undertaken on the Mahanadi by the neighbouring state. Does a solution seem to be in the sight?
Odisha will be severely hit during the non-monsoon period (September to June) if Chhattisgarh is allowed to go ahead with its construction activities in the river upstream. Though they are yet to supply us with full information on their projects, one thing is certain that the barrages they are building are to be utilised for providing water to industries instead of irrigation purposes.
There is a perception that the BJD is raking up this issue keeping the panchayat elections in view...
We have won four Assembly elections in a row. People of Odisha are with the BJD. We are not worried about any political advantage accruing from the issue.
Don’t you think we failed to raise the issue at the right moment that allowed Chhattisgarh to go ahead with their projects?
They had clandestinely built the barrages saying that they fall in the minor irrigation project category as they are meant to irrigate 2,000 acres - which does not require any permission from the Centre. But, we have noticed that they have built six to seven barrages in the Mahanadi upstream, especially for industrial purposes.
The BJD seems to be divided on the issue. Party MP Tathagat Satpathy has alleged that the state is in a disadvantageous situation on the issue because inefficiency of the water resources department’s officers...
That's his personal opinion. However, the party is united on the Mahanadi issue.
The CBI has already interrogated one of your staff members — a diarist in connection with the deposit collection scam. It has been alleged that you showed some favour to one of the companies during your tenure as the tourism minister of the state...
Let the agency complete its investigation. Whatever I did was on the basis of the department's recommendation and was done following established procedures.
Do you think that the Opposition is targeting you because you are leading the Mahanadi agitation on behalf of the government and the party?
I cannot say this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Gujarat chief minister, was interrogated by the CBI. Even Manmohan Singh was interrogated by the CBI. Mere interrogation does not mean that you are involved in something wrong.
