The BJP government in the state is making commendable progress on all fronts. It is doing everything possible to fulfil the promises it made to the people of the state. The focus is on economic development and improving the living standard of the people. At the same time BJP as a party is going from strength in Odisha. In sharp contrast, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the main opposition, seems to be facing a crisis. Party boss and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik is struggling to keep his flock together.
Odisha is on the move. So many developments are taking place on different fronts, each geared up to take the state forward. On the political front, the ruling BJP seems to be growing in strength with each passing day. This is happening at Biju Janata Dal’s cost which is struggling to keep its flock together.
The latest blow to the BJD has been the resignation of party MP Sujeet Kumar from the Rajya Sabha following which he joined the BJP. The BJD expectedly expelled him accusing him of “anti-party activities.” The BJD said Kumar had let down the party which sent him to the Upper House. The BJD president and former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that Kumar has also let the aspirations of people of Kalahandi down.
In his resignation letter to the Rajya Sabha chairman, Kumar said he took the decision “consciously”. “I take this opportunity to express my profuse gratitude to you for the opportunities provided to me to raise issues of public importance, and of my state Odisha, in the House,” Kumar said in the resignation letter.
Significantly, Sujit’s resignation comes a month after Kudumi community leader Mamata Mohanta’s departure from the Rajya Sabha and the BJD. She was recently elected unopposed to the Upper House of Parliament as a BJP MP. Following Sujit’s resignation the strength of BJD in the Rajya Sabha has been reduced to 7. The BJP’s strength in the Upper House from Odisha is expected to go up in the same proportion as BJD’s loss.
While the BJP in Odisha is, thus, gaining in strength chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is focussing hard on development. Recently, in a significant move, he dissolved all the 23 special development councils (SDCs) established in as many tribal-dominated districts of the state by the previous BJD regime.
Majhi approved a proposal for dissolution of the SDCs which remained dysfunctional and failed to meet the objective for which the councils were constituted, sources said. A brainchild of Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the BJD government established SDCs on September 21, 2017 in nine districts where 62 tribal communities and 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups inhabit.
The SDCs were set up in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Sundargarh, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Koraput districts to involve tribals, constituting nearly 23 per cent of the total population of the state, in the development process.
In May 2023, the BJD government expanded the SDCs to 14 more districts in a clear move to woo tribal voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The new districts brought under the SDCs included Balangir, Ganjam, Boudh, Balasore, Sambalpur, Dhenkanal, Kalahandi, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Angul, Bargarh, Jajpur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
For long, the BJP has alleged that the only objective of the SDCs was to rehabilitate tribal leaders owing allegiance to the BJD. The chairperson of the council was given the status of minister of state, vice-chairperson equivalent of zilla parishad VC and members were given status of ZP members. The nine SDCs formed first had met only once since their inception.
The BJD government had given a total grant of Rs 351 crore for 2023-24 keeping an eye on the 2024 elections and Rs 226 crore in the vote of account placed before the election in February for 2024-25. The BJP, which is keen on developing the tribal-dominated areas of the state, would now make its own plans for the purpose. Instead of indulging in lip-service to the cause and allowing party leaders to line their pockets the BJP would take concrete steps for the development of these areas.
The chief minister is also paying special attention to the development of industries in the state. Inaugurating the three-day global trade show Resurgent Odisha-2024, organised by Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limited (UCCIL) recently the chief minister said the process has begun to make Odisha a developed state and the growth engine of India’s development in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Purvodaya.
The chief minister was categorical that small scale industries and MSMEs constituted the backbone of Odisha’s economy. Apart from the metal downstream and manufacturing sector, the state government is laying stress on agro-based and food processing industries. “Odisha being an agrarian state with three-fourth of its population dependent on agriculture must balance industrial growth with the needs of its agricultural sector,” he said.
Deputy chief minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo urged industries to focus on value-addition within the state. “The state is heavily dependent on imports despite its abundant natural resources because there is no focus on ancillary and downstream industries in both large and MSME categories,” he said. He urged the chief minister to provide land free of cost and charge a lease amount to investors willing to set up industries in Odisha. “It will make the process quicker and the projects would be viable. We have to think out of the box and should walk the talk,” Singh Deo said. Minister of state for Industries Sampad Chandra Swain highlighted Odisha’s goal to increase its contribution to the country’s exports to 2.5 per cent and eventually reach the third position by 2047.
The three-day conference featured panel discussions on investment potential in Odisha, the risks and rewards of innovation, unlocking Odisha’s potential, prospects in the defence sector, logistics and transportation infrastructure, new-generation industrial and export potential.
Consumer welfare also remains one of the top priorities of the government. The state government recently informed the legislature that distribution of new ration cards would begin soon. More than 10 lakh applications have been received for new ration cards. The process of e-KYC validation began on August 22. More than 44.37 lakh ration cards had been verified until recently.
Ration card holders have been advised to complete their Aadhaar seeding and KYC verification through point of sale (PoS) machines at the PDS dealer points by September 25 in an attempt to eliminate ineligible cards from the food security programme. As many as 3.26 crore people of the state are covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) while more than 10 lakh are covered under the state food security programme. The state government has identified more than 16 lakh ration cards which are in suspect list. This led to verification of all ration cards in circulation. The government has assured that all eligible persons will be provided ration cards. Fresh applications are still being received and new ration cards will be issued to those who meet the criteria set under NFSA.
The state is, thus, marching ahead on all fronts and BJP going from strength to strength. Though the party has come to power in the state on its own for the first time, it is taking all possible steps to translate its election promises into reality.
