BJD accuses central governments of neglecting Odisha

Bhubaneswar: BJD yesterday accused successive central governments of neglecting Odisha in times of disasters while opposition Congress and BJP dubbed this as an effort by the ruling party to hide its inefficiency to tackle the drought situation in the state.

The issue was debated in the Assembly through a motion moved by government Chief Whip Ananta Das where BJD members accused both the present NDA government and the previous UPA regime of neglecting the state that was hit by at least 21 disasters like flood, drought, cyclone and unseasonal rain in last 14 years.

Though the state sought central assistance of Rs 26,207.70 crore between 2000 and 2014, Odisha received only Rs 2442.02 crore. This is the proof of the Centre's negligence towards the state, Das said.

The state faced floods in 2001, 2003 (twice), 2004, 2005,2006, 2007 (twice), 2008 (twice), 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. Similarly, drought occurred in 2000, 2002, 2009 and 2010. Hailstorm and tornado in 2009, cyclone Phailin in 2013, cyclone Hudhud in 2014, unseasonal cyclonic rain in 2010 and heavy rain in 2005, pointed out senior BJD member and former minister Amar Prasad Satpathy.

Das said the then Prime Minister announced Rs 200 crore central assistance for flood in 2006. However, the state in reality received only Rs 25 crore which was later adjusted against the state disaster response fund, Das said.

Similarly, the then union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in 2008 announced Rs 500 crore assistance for flood in Odisha.

The state received only Rs 98.87 crore of which Rs 80.869 crore was later adjusted against funds released in favour of the state from the NDRF for drought and unseasonal cyclonic rain in 2010.

Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Sanjay Dasburma asked how the NDA government sanctioned Rs 2000 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 1540 crore for Karnataka, Rs 1387 crore for Chhattishgarh, Rs 1665 crore for Assam and Rs 802 crore Andhra Pradesh for drought.

"These states got central assistance even without submitting memoranda to the Centre. But, in case of Odisha, the Centre asks for memorandum," Dasburma alleged adding that Odisha gets central teams while others get funds.

"Besides floods, cyclones and droughts, Odisha has been facing this fourth disaster that is central negligence," Dasburma, also BJD youth wing president, said.

Dasburma and other leaders like Health Minister Atanu S Nayak and Sports Minister Sudam Marndi blamed both BJP-led NDA and the previous UPA government led by Congress for neglecting Odisha.

However, the members of Congress and BJP defended their respective parties during the debate on allegedly neglecting Odisha during natural calamities and charged the BJD government with not being able to handle the drought situation.

"Odisha instead got more central assistance under the NDA regime than the previous UPA government. Though certain central schemes were stopped, the state government received additional resources from coal mine auction and implementation of new Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act," BJP member Pradeep Purohit said.

Purohit claimed that never before any central government had announced Rs 35,000 National Highway project for Odisha.

"The state government's memorandum for drought assistance was not correct. It sought Rs 60 per meal for free feeding of the elderly drought-affected persons while the state government provides cheap meal to urban poor at the rate of Rs 5 per meal," said Rabi Narayan Naik.

Rejecting the allegation that the UPA government too neglected Odisha, Congress chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati demanded a white paper on the central assistance received by the state during the UPA tenure and in NDA regime.

Leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress also blamed the state government and accused it of failing to handle the drought.