After holding an expensive rally at New Delhi to demand special category state (SCS) status for Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced yet another populist scheme to woo the voters.
Now, each old age pension holder in urban areas will be paid Rs 100 to purchase umbrella to protect them from rain. The Chief Minister has asked the district collectors to provide the assistance on June 15. Official sources said the new scheme would cover three lakh old age pension holders.
The Chief Minister had announced the umbrella scheme for about 33 lakh pension holders in rural areas in April. With the extension of the scheme to urban areas, the number of beneficiaries will go up to 36 lakh.
Official sources said the scheme will also cover widow pension holders and differently abled persons. The expenditure for the scheme will be Rs 36 crore for both urban and rural areas.
The Chief Minister has launched several schemes during last one year to cover all sections of voters. He launched rice at Rs 1 per kg in Malkangiri district in February this year to cover 58 lakh beneficiaries with an expenditure of Rs 1,350 crore per annum.
Naveen had announced a scheme last winter to provide Rs 200 each to 36 lakh beneficiaries at a cost of Rs 72 crore for purchasing blankets. In bid to woo the women voters, the Chief Minister announced financial assistance of Rs 10,000 each to one lakh self-help groups (SHGs) during 2013-14 under the Mission Shakti on February 12. The scheme, which will benefit 10 lakh women, will cost the State exchequer Rs 100 crore. Similarly, youth clubs will get assistance of Rs 10,000 each.
A package was announced for construction workers on February 14. As per the package, cycles, shoes, helmets and financial assistance for daughter’s marriage will be provided. He also hiked the honorarium for elected panchayat representatives on March 5, the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik, celebrated as Panchayati Raj Day. In the Budget for 2013-14, the BJD Government announced free mobile phones and health insurance for farmers, pre-paid SIM cards for fisherfolk and financial help for women self-help groups and youths.
The State Government for the first time also presented Rs 7,161.84-crore separate agriculture budget. Over one lakh fishermen would be provided with free mobile SIM cards with a fund of ` 4.60 crore.