Centre Failed To Keep 2014 Promise To Odisha: Naveen

Nabarangpur: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday said the Centre has failed to keep a promise made to Odisha during the 2014 elections.

Addressing a huge public meeting at Raighar during his one-day visit to Nabarangpur district, he said the Centre had promised to double the minimum support price (MSP) of paddy and lay a new railway line in Nabarangpur district. “Where are these promises now?” Naveen asked.

The Chief Minister also urged the people to seek clarification from the BJP on why the Centre had stopped the KBK Yojana, which promised to provide jobs to 2 crore youths in the country every year, and why Mahanadi water to Odisha had been stopped.

Reiterating the Centre’s “apathy” towards Odisha, the chief minister said none of the BJP leaders from the Centre had visited Odisha during natural calamities. Also, no central BJP leader has ever visited Nabarangpur district in the last five years.

Naveen also came down heavily against the Centre for slashing the scholarship amount for Scheduled Caste students and harassing farmers from the state while providing crop insurance money.

Stating that his party had given top priority to the KALIA scheme, Naveen said about 40 lakh farmers have benefited from it. He assured that his government will credit two installment amounts of Rs 10,000 into bank accounts of 25 lakh farmers the day he forms the next government. “Not a single farmer will ever be deprived under the KALIA scheme,” he said.