Bhubaneswar, Feb. 13: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik set the tone for the budget session of the Assembly, commencing tomorrow, by announcing a slew of sops for construction workers today.
The chief minister said around 1.3 lakh construction workers of the state would get benefits such as free cycles, slippers (chappals) and helmets, apart from double their existing amount of insurance benefits.
Since this is likely to be the last budget session of the Assembly before the 2014 polls, the government is expected to announce more populist measures in this year’s budget to woo the voters.
“This may be the last budget session before the elections. So, a lot of important work for the state have to be done,” said Naveen. The BJD will highlight the anti-poverty and pro-poor measures taken by the government, he said.
Recently, Naveen had announced a raft of populist measures, including the Re 1-per-kg-rice scheme, assistance for youth clubs and women self-help groups and grants for urban development.
The latest announcements were made at rally of construction workers here today. The chief minister announced that those workers, who had registered themselves for over three years, would be provided with bicycles.
Besides, all the registered construction workers will be provided with helmets, chappals and gloves for safety at the working place, he said.
Moreover, the amount of financial assistance, being provided by the Construction Worker Welfare Board, will be doubled. Henceforth, the construction workers will get house building assistance of Rs 80,000, aid of Rs 10,000 for daughter’s marriage, Rs 2 lakh for accidental death and Rs 1 lakh for natural death. Besides, financial assistance will also be provided for treatment of critical ailments and children’s education, said Naveen.
On the other hand, the Congress has decided to expose the failures and misdeeds of the government. “This government is just taking the innocent people for ride by announcing new sops. Most of these schemes are funded by the Centre and the state government has failed to utilise central funds,” said leader of Opposition in the Assembly Bhupinder Singh.
“The government has neglected the farmers, who are backbone of the state. The farmers are committing suicide as they are forced to sell their produce at throw-away price and have not yet been paid the insurance claim for crop loss because of natural calamities,” said Singh.
Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan said his party would highlight the deteriorating law and order situation, growing Maoist menace and the government’s failure to spend central funds.
BJP legislature party leader K.V. Singhdeo said his party would raise the state’s burning problems such as distress sale of paddy, scarcity of doctors and teachers.
A ruling party leader, on the other hand, said they were prepared to face discussion on any issue raised by the Opposition.
The treasury bench will also raise issues such as neglect of Odisha by the Centre, especially the railways and the price rise of essential commodities to counter the Congress.
“We will highlight the spiralling price rise of essential commodities. The prices of these commodities are going up because of the faulty economic policy of the UPA government at the Centre,” said Naveen, after presiding a meeting of party legislators this evening.
