The 24th Eastern Zonal Council meet was a big event. Hosted by Odisha it saw chief ministers of West Bengal and Bihar sharing their thoughts on important issues with union home minister, Amit Shah. Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, who played the generous host, stole the show. Apart from acting as the spokesperson for the eastern region and raising demands specific to the region he also presented his own state’s demands quite forcefully.
Odisha hosted the recent 24th Eastern Zonal Council (EZC) meet in the state capital in what is being seen as a political victory for chief minister, Naveen Patnaik who not only succeeded in bringing to the fore issues specific to the state but also the eastern region of the country.
The successful organisation of the event and his emergence as the spokesperson for the region also enhanced his stature as a powerful regional satrap of the country. The issue of Delhi riots found only a fleeting mention with West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Bannerjee expressing regret over the loss of lives. Bannerjee, who joined union minister, Amit Shah, the man chairing the meeting, for a power lunch at Naveen Niwas along with her Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar and union minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, refused to toe the opposition line on Delhi riots. While appealing for peace in Delhi she made it clear that it was not the time to indulge in politics and demand the resignation of Shah. “The problem should be resolved first. We can discuss politics later,” she said adding that she had urged Shah to ensure that the situation in Delhi did not aggravate.
Mamata also made it clear that contentious issues like Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) were not discussed at the meeting as they were not on the agenda. Shah, though, later tore into the opposition, particularly the Congress, while addressing a pro-CAA rally at the Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar. He accused the opposition of misleading the people on the issue of CAA and fomenting riots.
Patnaik, who played the generous host serving his guests typical Odia delicacies at Naveen Nivas, took the initiative in raising the developmental demands of the eastern region at the meeting while also foregrounding Odisha’s specific demands in regard. He sought a special economic package for the eastern zone which, he said, lagged behind in many areas despite being richly endowed with natural and mineral resources.
Patnaik said that the region was underdeveloped in terms of teledensity, railway network as well as banking density compared to other zones, and therefore, deserved a special financial package for infrastructure development. “If a nationwide analysis is done, East Zone will be at the bottom in all these subjects which are in the Union List. There is a need to double the allotments to this region so that they catch up with national benchmarks,” he said.
Talking of integration which is one of the primary objectives of the council, Patnaik said, “Integration has to be financial, infrastructural and technological so that it leads to and strengthens emotional integration.” He also emphasized the need for good Centre-State relations and pointed out that the eastern zone contributed maximum to the mineral wealth of the country and ensured security for manufacturing and energy sectors. He simultaneously underscored the urgent need to ensure that the fruits of this wealth boosted the economic growth of the region.
Naveen also raised the demand for the revision of coal royalty which has not been revised since 2012 and said there was also an urgent need to review this as well as the share of clean energy cess with the state governments. “Our region has some of the largest scheduled areas of the country. I reiterate my demand for inclusion of Ho, Bhumij and Mundari languages in the Eighth Schedule of Constitution,” he said.
Raising issues specific to Odisha Naveen said while he was thankful to the Centre for supporting the state during cyclone Fani last year, the state should be accorded special focus status. “Taking the frequency of natural disasters faced by Odisha into consideration, vulnerability to natural calamity should be taken as a criteria to declare the State a Special Focus State,” he said. He also pointed out that delay in release of grants to urban local bodies and non-release of subsidy for paddy procurement are causing problems to the farmers of the state.
Patnaik also pointed out that even though the state shared 50 per cent of the estimated cost of railway projects and provided free land for the same the progress of important projects in this sector had been “very slow.” While Bihar chief minister reiterated his demand for special category status to his state Mamata Bannerjee raised the issue of timely payment of GST compensation to states by the Centre. Jharkhand was represented at the meeting by its finance minister, Rameshwar Oraon.
On his part Shah reiterated Centre’s commitment to federal democracy and called for resolution of inter-state and Centre-State issues though regular discussion at different fora besides the zonal council meetings. He also spoke of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s vision for the implementation of consensual decisions taken after deliberation to further strengthen the federal structure of the country. He expressed satisfaction over the usefulness of the zonal council mechanism and said more than 70 per cent issues had been resolved based on the outcome of recent meetings of the zonal councils. He hoped that the latest meeting will also be useful in resolving with consensus issues having Centre-State and inter-State ramifications.
Admitting tha
t the eastern region required greater attention to fast-track its development, the Home Minister said he hoped that the meeting would impart momentum to process of development in the country as a whole. Sources said apart from telecom and banking density the council also discussed issues such as prevention of cattle smuggling and illegal transportation of cattle to Indo-Bangladesh border.
While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee raised the issue of delay in payments of GST proceeds and devolution of funds her Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar demanded formulation of National Silt Management Policy to take care of floods in river Ganga.
he power lunch hosted by chief minister, Naveen Patnaik for the visiting dignitaries was the talk of political circles as it brought together leaders who do not see eye to eye on several issues. Union home minister, Amit Shah and Mamata Bannerjee, who have crossed swords several times in the past, sat facing each other as typical Odia food cooked at Naveen Nivas was served to the guests who also included Nitish Kumar and union minister, Dharmendra Pradhan. Overall the meet was a political triumph for Odisha chief minister who despite getting close to the BJP of late has managed to keep his secular image intact.
