Bhubaneswar: Asserting that the BJP government at the Centre has supported Odisha in a big way, External Affairs Minister S Jaishanker on Saturday said that the state has received central assistance to the tune of Rs 18 Lakh crore in last ten years.
Jaishankar, who arrived in Bhubaneswar this morning on a two-day visit to Odisha ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, stressed the importance of a BJP government in the state to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration for effective collaboration.
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, the Union Minister said that the BJP government was never reluctant in providing all support for Odisha’s development though central schemes like Ayushman Bharat are not being implemented in the state.
Noting that Odisha has enormous resource base a rich culture which is widely admired across the world, Jaishankar said that the iconic Konark Sun Temple wheel took the centre stage at the G20 Summit in Delhi. This shows how much respect and affection the Prime Minister has for Odisha and its rich culture, he said.
“All these will boost the tourism sector in Odisha. We hope there would be many more opportunities for tourism industry to grow in the state,” he said.
Stating that Odisha occupies a special place PM Modi’s development plan, Jaishankar said 20 passport support centres have come up in the state, while over 2.7 lakh people have got houses under the PM Awas Yojana.
Expressing the hope that BJP would be able to cross 400-mark in Lok Sabha in the upcoming elections with Odisha’s support, the Minister said that the people of Odisha will vote to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Modi this time for their speedy development.
Noting that he had an opportunity to appreciate the talent and skills of the people of Odisha abroad as Foreign Minister, Jaishanker said people of Odisha will make right choice when they vote in the upcoming elections. “I hope they will vote to strengthen the hands of PM Modi helping us to pass 400. People of Odisha will definitely their trusts in Modi,” he said.
