BHUBANESWAR: Questioning the Government’s commitment for development of backward and tribal areas of the State, the Congress on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the BJD Government, which completed one year of its fourth consecutive term in office recently, for not working on its promise to plan development councils for backward regions.
The promise to constitute development councils has been completely forgotten by the BJD Government, former Congress MP from Nabarangpur Pradip Majhi said. There is no move by the State Government in this regard, he said.
The BJD in its manifesto for the 2014 polls had promised to plan development councils for scheduled and backward regions of the State. The manifesto maintained that these councils will accelerate the pace of inclusive growth in the targeted areas and help in decentralised governance.
The BJD had promised to provide people centric, decentralised, transparent and right based governance. The promise to set up ‘Odisha State Transparency Council’ as an independent body to ensure transparency in tender process and quality in work executed by the government departments has also not been fulfilled.
Other promises made by the BJD to improve local governance and service delivery included conversion of all villages with more than 1000 population to gram panchayats.
There is no initiative from the Government to fulfil the promises made by the BJD in its manifesto, former Congress minister Ganeswar Behera said.
Sources said Justice SK Mohanty Commission, set up by the Government to look into regional imbalance, had recommended constitution of a Backward Area Development Council, covering backward and very backward blocks of the State. Though the Commission submitted its report in 2008, the Government is yet to place it in the Assembly despite demand from the Opposition political parties.
The Commission had also suggested formation of a Development Board for blocks in the border areas of the State to intensify development activities.