"Odisha Facing Constant Neglect": 'Equidistant' Naveen Patnaik Hits Out At Centre

On a day that his party chose not to take part in mega meetings called by opposition parties as well as the ruling alliance, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hit out at the centre, saying the state is not getting the kind of support that it should in a system of cooperative federalism.

Mr Patnaik, whose Biju Janata Dal (BJD) follows a stated policy of being "equidistant" from the ruling party and the opposition, also accused the government of constantly neglecting Odisha in the transfer of central funds - a charge which has also been levelled by Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of neighbouring West Bengal.

"Odisha is facing constant neglect in the transfer of state share and central funds," Mr Patnaik said. The BJP has, however, denied the allegation and said that Odisha has received the most central funds in the last nine years of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) rule. 

Addressing party MPs yesterday, ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament, the chief minister said, "The latest Niti Aayog report suggests that Odisha is among the five states that witnessed the sharpest decline in multi-dimensional poverty. We are right on track to achieve all our goals."

"However, we are not getting the kind of support from the Government of India we should get in a system of cooperative federalism," he added. 

Mr Patnaik also attacked the centre on farmer and infrastructure issues and the elimination of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, under which poor households were getting an additional 5 kg of rice or wheat and 1 kg of dal for free.

"Elimination of PM Garib Kalyan Yojana, the closure of extra 5 kg rice, is an attack on the poor," Mr Patnaik told his party MPs

Stating that farmers are a top priority for his government, the BJD chief pointed to issues like non-evacuation of surplus par-boiled rice by the Food Corporation of India, non-payment of dues, non-implementation of the Swaminathan Committee report on minimum support price and the irregular supply of fertilisers. 

"Farmers are also not getting Fasal Bima (crop insurance) benefits. Odisha govt has decided to bear the premium of farmers for fasal bima," Mr Patnaik said. 

On infrastructure issues, the chief minister said national highways in the state are facing "utter negligence". He also said six districts of the state are yet to get linked to the railway network and the coastal highway has seen no progress.

Mr Patnaik added that the PM Awas Yojana was blocked for four years by not opening the Awas Plus Portal,  several tribal communities have not been included in the Scheduled Tribes list and that the centre has forgotten the issue of women's reservation in the legislative setup of the country.

Since the BJD exited the NDA in 2008, the party has stayed on the fence when it comes to supporting the NDA or the opposition. It has, however, skipped opposition meetings and is known to bail out the central government when it needs the numbers.