BHUBANESWAR: “Funds will never be constraint for the development of Odisha,” the statement of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visit to Odisha after the 1999 Super Cyclone is still etched in the minds of the people of the State. The famous catchphrase of Vajpayee not only won the hearts of the people but also next election to the State Assembly under the leadership of then Union Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The BJP, which stitched an alliance with a fledgling Biju Janata Dal before the 2000 Assembly elections, used the Vajpayee statement as a slogan in its poll campaign reaping huge electoral gains. As the nation mourned the death of the former Prime Minister, leaders from all political hues fondly remembers his generous contribution which helped Odisha for its quick recovery f rom the larg e s c a l e devastation. Recounting his interaction with Vajpayee during the visit, the then Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang, whose ‘famous’ single vote in the confidence motion toppled the Vajpayee Government in 1999, said the former told him not to hesitate to ask for any help from the Centre.
Vajpayee surprised many in his government by announcing housing assistance for 7 lakh families in the affected districts. He had to face criticism from opposition for his liberal assistance to Odisha, said former Revenue Minister Biswabhusan Harichandan. The oil refinery of the Indian Oil Corporation at Paradip was the other contribution of Vajpayee who laid the foundation stone of the project on May 24, 2000. Though the Congress has tried to claim credit for the `35,000-crore 15-million tonnes per annum project, it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 7, 2016.
The All Indian Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar was one among the six such premier institutes sanctioned by the Vajpayee government. He laid the foundation stone of the institute on July 16, 2003. AIIMS-Bhubaneswar was the first to be operationalised. Senior BJP leader Debendra Pradhan who served in the Vajpayee government credited Vajpayee for envisioning mega infrastructure projects like Golden Quadrilateral, the National Highways expansion project connecting four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, the rural connectivity programme under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and Swajal Dhara, the rural piped water supply scheme.
“Vajpayee will be remembered for his pro-poor initiatives like Annapurna Yojana and Antyodaya Anna Yojana, the food security programme for the poorest of the poor,” Harichandan said. Vajpayee’s concern for the development of tribals led him to create a separate ministry and give the charge of the ministry in the hand of Jual Oram, who still heads the Ministry in the Narendra Modi Government. Remembering his association, Oram said, “Vajpayee ji had given me free hand to do the best for the tribals.”