ROURKELA: Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday said it would protest the scheduled Rourkela visit of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on September 14 for distribution of smart health cards under Biju Swastha Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).
Party’s Panposh organisational district president Latika Patnaik accused the ruling party of misusing government machinery and District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds for political gains. She also pointed fingers at the inefficiency of government in various spheres, indulging in rampant corruption and failing to keep its promises of development of Rourkela and rest of Sundargarh.
State unit BJP spokesperson Dhiren Senapati said people of the State have been forced to avail BSKY which is an ‘assurance’ scheme with limited scope of treatment within the State, unlike Ayusman Bharat.
He blamed the government for violating the guidelines of DMF spending by using the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana for construction of hockey stadiums, sports infrastructure, procurement of vehicles for RMC while tribals continue to face issues due to mining operations in the district.
Senapati highlighted the administration’s failure in bringing down the crime rate while engaging in making corrupt business deals by selling government lands at throwaway prices. The Panposh Integrated Tribal Development Agency is spending large sums on school transformation without tenders, he said adding, the Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) is still awaiting increase in bed strength to 400, fate of many other major projects still hang in balance.
He alleged that the government is deliberately not holding RMC election for eight years to keep its control over the civic body and misuse Smart City projects fund. BJP had earlier dubbed the health card a political stunt to woo voters ahead of the panchayat elections.