The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD has asserted that if the party is voted back to power for the fourth time in a row, it will take decisions on at least 19 major subjects of the 123 poll promises made in its manifesto at the first cabinet meeting.
It’s a tall promise considering that the BJD could not deliver on 16 poll promises of the 21 made in the 2009 elections. However, the government’s successful implementation of the Centre’s public distribution scheme (PDS) and making of rice available at Rs 2 per kilo despite sustaining a loss of nearly Rs 1,000 crore to the state exchequer in 2009 had brought it to power.
The state government has also moved a step further towards the goal of making Odisha hunger-free by implementing the rice at Re 1 per kg scheme.
The earlier manifesto, apart from several commitments, had promised to create 15 lakh jobs, revive defunct industries, accident insurance for school children, removal of bonded labour system and one hospital for each cluster of 5,000 families. The promises remain on the paper.
In the new manifesto, the BJD has sought to project a pro-farmer image promising, among other things, cheaper loan to farmers. However, the party is yet to keep the promise made in 2009 of irrigating 35 per cent of land in each block and exemption of electricity duty for farmers.
“Farmer suicides are common. It is evident that farmers are not getting their due,” said Lingarj Pradhan, a noted farmer leader.
But the promise of making villages computer literate is yet to be fulfilled. After failing to provide Internet to schools, the state government has now handed over computer education to a few NGOs in the state. The teachers will be recruited through the NGOs in government schools once the election is over.
The migration of labour and a majority of them working in depraving conditions continues. “People are still going out of the KBK regions in search of jobs. The latest example of atrocities on them is the chopping off of palms of two labourers,” said social activist Biswajit Kanungo.
Though a number of major private hospitals have come up in the state, the government’s ambition of setting up hospitals for every 5,000 families and mobile hospitals in each block remains unfulfilled.
“But you should remember that we have introduced 108 ambulance service, which is the lifeline for patients in faraway areas,” said health minister Damodar Rout. However, allegations have been levelled with the Election Commission that these ambulances were being used to ferry cash to different constituencies.
While a number of promises are yet to be fulfilled, the BJD in its new manifesto has pledged to introduce two schemes — Chief Minister Sadak Yojana and Chief Minister Employment Generation Scheme.
The first intends to provide connectivity to all villages having a population of 100 and less that are not covered under any other existing scheme. While the government has so far failed to create any jobs for its unemployed youth, promises to impart training to students under the Chief Minister Employment Generation scheme to make them fit to become self-employed.
The state government, which has failed to settle the issue of setting up a special bench of Orissa High Court in west and southern Odisha, assured that it would take steps to induct Koshali/ Sambalpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. To woo voters of the KBK region, the BJD has also promised to construct an expressway connecting north and south Odisha. The proposed expressway will run through the backward regions of west and KBK districts.
The party, which has promised several welfare measures including a slum development mission, is, however, yet to give property rights to this downtrodden class. The government had passed a proposal in this regard in the state cabinet but it failed to get the nod of the state Assembly.
