BHUBANESWAR: State unit of Samajwadi Party (SP) criticised the Centre for ignoring the claim of Odisha for financial assistance to tackle the drought situation again.
SP’s State president Rabi Behera said though the High Level Committee (HLC) sanctioned drought package of Rs 2033 crore to Madhya Pradesh and Rs 3050 crore to Maharashtra, Odisha’s case was not considered. Earlier, on December 21, the HLC had announced aid of Rs 925 crore to Chhattisgarh, Rs 1104 crore to West Bengal and Rs 34 crore to Manipur. Whether it is UPA or NDA, Odisha has always been betrayed, Behera said. The State’s case was not considered though two Central teams visited Odisha to assess the drought situation.