Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday demanded financial autonomy for the state after which, he said, the state would not need special category status or central grants. Financial autonomy would help the state develop and prosper with its own funds. Legendary Odisha leader Biju Patnaik had made a plea for fiscal autonomy for the state in the early 90s, the chief minister said on Wednesday.
“Give us financial autonomy, we will no more need special category status or central grant for the state. We will be able to develop and prosper with our own funds,” Naveen Patnaik said while addressing the 21st foundation day of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
He, however, did not elaborate on the issue.
The chief minister during his address accused the BJP-led Centre of neglecting the state “in all spheres”. Accusing Centre of extracting everything from Odisha he said, Centre Government has given in return for the state’s development”.
Naveen Patnaik’s scathing attack on the Centre comes two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a rally in Khurda had taken a dig at the BJD government alleging corruption and inaction.
Throwing a barrage of questions, Odisha CM said both Congress and BJP have neglected the state during their respective rules in Centre and that is the reason that mounts to state and its people have been suffering.
CM Naveen Patnaik also slammed the Centre over the issue of coal royalty and said there has been no revision in coal royalty. Mahandi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) is making a profit of Rs 20,000 crore but Odisha is getting “pollution,” he said.
Though it was highly publicized that Odisha would gain over Rs 70,000 crore from coal mine auction, the entire campaign turned out to be hollow as the state got only Rs 370 crore from the process, Patnaik alleged.
Talking about the rail network in the state, He said, While Railways get Rs 20,000 crore from the state annually, there are no concrete steps to expand rail network in the state and provide quality services.
Accusing the BJP-led government of failing to keep the promises in 2014 Lok Sabha election manifesto, the BJD leader said the promise to grant special category status to Odisha, hike MSP for paddy by one and halftime of input cost and 33 percent reservation for women remained “only in words”.
Dumping the BJP’s claims of success of ‘Ujjwala Scheme‘, Patnaik said Prices of LPG is so high that how can families afford to fill his cylinders.
Biju Janta Dal Party Chief Naveen Patnaik had on Sunday met his Telangana Counterpart K Chandrashekhar Rao in an attempt to explore possibilities to form Federal Front without BJP and Congress for General Elections 2019.
–With Inputs from PTI
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