Bhubaneswar, Oct. 11: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today took a swipe at the Congress-led UPA government, saying that it wasn’t doing any charity by allotting funds for central schemes in the state.
“They are not doing any favour by offering financial assistance to the state under various schemes. The Centre is taking a lot of benefits from the state in the form of mineral royalty and revenue from the railway sector. Compared to that, whatever they are giving is too little,” said Naveen while addressing a gathering at Nayapalli on the concluding day of the BJD’s 11-day Jansampark padayatra.
Naveen’s reaction came after the state Congress leaders alleged that the state government was unable to spend central funds allotted for various schemes, and instead, took all credit for the Centre-sponsored programmes.
“They are taking undue credit for the success of the central programmes. The truth is that even the state government’s flagship programme of cheap rice at Rs 2 per kg cannot continue without the support of the Centre, which is giving Rs 15 subsidy for every kilo of rice,” said Pradesh Congress Committee president Niranjan Patnaik.
In no mood to pull his punches, the chief minister further said: “Because of the Centre’s faulty economic policy, the country is being dragged into a crisis.” He, however, remained silent on the issue of FDI in the retail sector on which his government is yet to take a call.
Jubilant over the response to the BJD rally, Naveen kept up his anti-Centre tirade. “Whatever we are getting is less than our legitimate right. The state has been a victim of political discrimination,” he said, adding that Odisha’s demand for a special package on the lines of a special-category state had been neglected.
On the other hand, the Congress, two days after the conclusion of its Parivartan yatra, today targeted the state government for neglecting the farmers’ cause and demanded Rs 300 as incentive bonus for every quintal of paddy to them on the minimum support price on par with states such as Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
“The government is not doing anything for them,” Patnaik said.
At present, the minimum support price of paddy in the state is Rs 1,080 a quintal.
