BHUBANESWAR: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for depriving the people of Odisha of the benefits of Ayushman Bharat, the biggest health care programme of the Centre, despite the State having poor health indicators.
“What surprised me is that when the State Government admitted in Assembly that over 60 per cent women and children are suffering from anaemia and the State has the highest number of stunted children and poor people are taken to hospitals on cots, Naveen babu is opposed to Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” Irani said at a media conference here.
The Union Minister, who was here on a day’s visit to BJP’s State executive committee meeting, said the Chief Minister’s refusal to implement the health scheme is highly condemnable. “The Chief Minister is not considering the Ayushman Bharat from health point of view but from political angle.
The poor people of the State have started raising questions why they should not avail the benefit of the Central scheme,” she said.
Accusing the ruling BJD of failing on all fronts, Irani said, “The Chief Minister has not only failed on development parameter, but also his Government was unable to provide security to women.” Asserting that the BJP workers are determined to achieve the ‘Missoion 120+’ target set by party president Amit Shah, Irani said the “indicators of failure” of the Naveen Patnaik Government will ensure a resounding victory for the saffron party both in Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.
Noting that some party workers, during the State executive meeting, drew her attention to a proposal for revival of the Odisha Textile Mills (OTM), Irani said the Centre will definitely extend a helping hand if the State Government takes an initiative in this direction.
“It is a matter of pride that more than 50 per cent of the workers in Tiruppur, the textiles and garments hub of Tamil Nadu, are from Odisha. If they made Tiruppur successful, they could do the same in the State if they are given the opportunity here. But I am sorry to say that Naveen babu has miserable failed to create new job opportunities for them,” she remarked.
Taking a jibe at the BJD for making petrol price hike a political issue, Irani said the Centre realising the problem of the people reduced the price of petrol and diesel by `2.50 per litre. But the BJD Government is not ready to reduce tax to provide further relief to the people.