Bhubaneswar, March 27: Disaster management minister Surya Narayan Patro, who said that the Centre had neglected Orissa in releasing assistance for natural calamities, now finds himself on the defensive.

Patro, now facing a privilege notice moved by the Opposition, acknowledges that the Centre has sanctioned Rs 560.17 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund this year for last year’s drought and unseasonal rain.

“Of course, the Centre has sanctioned the amount. However, we received the sanction letter on March 24 evening,” said Patro. He said: “I have not misled the House, but placed the facts on record.”

Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said the minister had lied. He said the home ministry, in its letter to the chief secretary on February 26, had communicated its approval of central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.

The department of expenditure had also conveyed the approval to the special relief commissioner and finance secretary of Orissa on March 24, he said.

Harichandan said: “The letter’s copy, faxed from New Delhi, was received at 2.10pm on March 24 when adjournment debate on the issue was going on in the House.” Harichandan showed a copy of the faxed letter in support of his claim.

“The minister has been changing his statement over the issue causing confusion in peoples’ mind,” said leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh.

A day after his assertion in the House that the Orissa government had not received any sanction order, Patro made a volte face on Friday and admitted that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 560.17 crore, said Singh.

“This shows how the government betrayed the people and farmers of the state,” said Singh.

Patro admitted that this was for the first time since 1999 super cyclone, the Orissa government received so much relief grants from the Centre and thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, home minister P. Chidambaram and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee.