BHUBANESWAR: Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday expressed happiness that Odisha has been ranked fifth in the country in attracting investment, as per NITI Aayog’s latest Investment Friendliness Index (IFI) report, but came down heavily on the BJP government for chest-thumping the achievement of BJD as its own.
In a social media post, the BJD president said the report has been prepared based on the performance in 2023-24 in which Odisha has an overall score of 52.4 per cent compared to 56.6 per cent of Gujarat.
He said that from bankruptcy in 2000 to standing tall among top states in attracting investment across India was immensely satisfactory for him. “The turnaround from a laggard state to a beacon state is a story of our sustained reform, fiscal discipline and transformative governance under the principles of 5T which is now being celebrated by present Odisha BJP government,” Naveen said.
He, however, expressed worry about the manner in which finances are being managed by the double-engine government in Odisha. “I am worried with the way the Odisha double-engine govt is mismanaging finances, it could push the state into same path of bankruptcy which we inherited 25 years back,” he stated.
Naveen said Odisha has scored ahead of several double-engine governments in many parameters while it has emerged as a shining beacon in prudent fiscal management across the country. The total outstanding liabilities stood at just 16 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), while interest payments were only 1.38 per cent of GSDP during the period, which is lowest across the country, he said.
The BJD government’s sustained effort, policy interventions and discipline have turned the state into a magnet for investment, the former chief minister said adding, these have empowered Odisha to invest in people-centric welfare initiatives.