BHUBANESWAR:The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has decided not to get on the Congress bandwagon during the monsoon session of Parliament and disrupt proceedings demanding resignation of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers over Modigate and Vyapam scam.
“The BJD wants debate on these issues inside the House,” Leader of the BJD Parliamentary Party in Lok Sabha Bhartruhari Mahatab told this paper after the all party meeting convened by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu at New Delhi ahead of monsoon session of Parliament on Tuesday. The BJD will not be part of the Congress threat to disrupt the House proceedings, he said.
Mahatab, however, said besides opposing the Land Acquisition Bill, the BJD will raise the issue of massive funds cut posing difficulties in implementation of several schemes.
The schemes include several welfare programmes run by the State Government with a major share of Central assistance. The outlay for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) has been cut by more than 50 per cent from Rs 9,954 crore to Rs 4,500 crore.
Besides, funds for accelerated irrigation benefit and flood management programme have been slashed from Rs 8,922.22 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1,000 crore in the budget. The cut in accelerated irrigation benefit programme will affect completion of several projects in Odisha which are under implementation.
Education sector will also be hit because of drastic cut in allocation, Mahatab said. The State Government will be forced to invest more in running mid-day meals in schools as the budget has made an allocation of Rs 7,755 crore against Rs 8,734 crore in 2014-15 for the national programme in schools.
Opening of model schools in all 314 blocks in the State now hangs in balance with the scheme delinked from any support from the Centre. Similarly, the State will lose around Rs 1,200 crore under Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) as there is no provision in the budget for the State and district windows under the scheme. The State will lose Rs 2100 crore per annum because of cut in allocations under different schemes, he said.