On Sunday, BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh criticised the state government for resorting to appeasement politics and shielding rioters of Sambalpur. Singh, who was on a three-day Lok Sabha ‘pravas’ to the state, termed the violence in Sambalpur as unfortunate.
“The BJP believes in the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. Here is a government which believes in appeasement politics,” the minister remarked. He sought to know from the state government if the people of Odisha have ever hurled stones at a ‘tazia’ procession during the last 75 years. “If not why this attack on Hanuman procession. Where will we celebrate Hanuman Jayanti,” he asked.
The Union minister who reviewed central schemes with senior state officials of Panchayati raj and Rural Development departments here on Saturday expressed concern over deserving beneficiaries being deprived of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state. Alleging funds allocated under the two schemes are being embezzeled by government officials, the minister said the UPA government had sanctioned only 10 lakh houses to Odisha while the NDA government has allotted 28 lakh houses to the state under PMAY. Despite allocation of central assistance, the state government is yet to complete construction of around 9.60 lakh houses which have been sanctioned since 2021, he said.
Similarly, UPA had sanctioned only Rs 6,700 crore to the state under MGNREGA. But after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the funds sanctioned under the scheme has increased to Rs 27,000 crore.
The quantum of central assistance has increased from Rs 26,000 crore to Rs 1 lakh crore for rural development during the corresponding period.
Priority should be given to people whose houses were badly damaged by cyclone Fani in May 2019. They are waiting for housing assistance for the last four years while the ruling BJD is trying to distribute houses to its workers, Harichandan said.
“We are giving the state government 15 days time for allotting houses with work orders. It is the government's responsibility to ensure the houses of the beneficiaries are constructed before the onset of monsoon. Any deviation will force the BJP to take the issue to the streets,” he warned.