Naveen Lays Down Conditions To Join Central Schemes

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has told the Centre that it would sincerely consider accepting the centrally-sponsored schemes if its concerns are properly looked into.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a letter for convening the fourth meeting of the governing council of the NITI Aayog, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the down issues of the state government.

He said with a high percentage of the population belonging to Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes and the state facing frequent natural calamities, Odisha deserves to be accorded “Special Category State” status to fast-track the ongoing development and may be treated on a par with the north-eastern and Himalayan states for the sharing pattern of centrally-sponsored schemes.

On transforming agriculture sector and doubling farmer’s income, the chief minister said a vital step would be to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops. “Though the announcement made in the Union Budget that the MSP will be kept for all crops at least at one and half times of the production cost is a welcome one, I am of the view that the cost of production must take into account the actual cost incurred by farmers on a realistic basis. We are keenly waiting for the modalities of calculation,” he pointed out.

Naveen further said that apart from assured and remunerating marketing, policy reforms are also needed to provide access, adequacy and timeliness of institutional credit. In order to relieve the farmers from the agrarian distress, there should be a national policy on loan waiver. The state government would support any initiative of the Centre in this regard.

He also suggested creation of a Credit Guarantee Trust for Agriculture (CGTA) on the lines of Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) through which collateral free agricultural loans up to Rs 50 Iakh and collateral free crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh could be extended backed only by the guarantee of CGTA.

“Besides, for a holistic development and transformation of the agriculture sector, I would suggest that recommendations of Swaminathan Committee on Farmers may be implemented in right earnest on a fast-track mode,” the chief minister observed.

Welcoming the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) announced in the Union Budget, Naveen said the scheme is a commendable step by the Centre for addressing health issues in the country. “Our fight against poverty cannot succeed without addressing the out-of-pocket health expenditure of the poor,” he noted.

Stating that efforts should be made towards a system of near universal coverage, he said dependence of NHPS on SECC data will be a serious handicap in achieving this since the SECC survey done on the criteria fixed by the UPA government has grave lacunae and many genuine poor have been left out.

“Due to this reason, whenever our state has implemented any programmes we have gone for near universal coverage as in schemes like MAMATA, Rural Housing, State Pensions for Old Age and also the National Food Security Act (NFSA). About 40 lakh people (8 lakh families) who are already covered under the Health Assistance Schemes of our state government will be left out if we take SECC data as a base,” the chief minister maintained.

Informing the Prime Minister, Naveen said though the state government had put forth its concerns regarding genuine beneficiaries being left out, the CEO, Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM), has informed that it is not possible to go beyond the ambit of SECC data.

He said that with a mandate of providing near universal health coverage, the state government has announced a health assurance scheme which will cover nearly 70 lakh families of the state.

“However, we will be still willing to consider joining NHPS in due course if the concerns of the state are addressed adequately,” the chief minister averred.