Irani Attacks Odisha Government For Depriving People of Central Schemes

Bhubaneswar: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday took a jibe at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik alleging that he is not letting people of the state avail benefits of the Central schemes. At the two-day extended executive meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here, she said the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government has deliberately decided not to implement the Ayushman Bharat Central scheme due to vested political interests.

“At a time when the state government admitted in Assembly that over 60 per cent women and children are suffering from anaemia and the state also tops in malnourishment rate, why Naveen babu opposed the Ayushman Bharat yojana and deprived poor people of the benefits of the central scheme,” said Irani.

Claiming that the BJD government has failed on several fronts, Irani said there is inadequate development in Odisha, and Patnaik has also failed to provide adequate safety and security to the women.

She also targeted the government for its failure in boosting the textile and handloom sector. “The state government is not keen to revive the defunct Odisha Textile Mills (OTM) which had earned name and fame in and outside the country for its quality product. If Odisha government comes up with the proposal regarding the OTM, the Centre will certainly take adequate steps in this regard,” Irani added.

Saying that the Centre and the BJP-ruled states have reduced tax on fuel for the benefit of the consumers, she attacked Patnaik for not providing relief to the people of the state.

Irani also urged the party workers to work for ‘Mission 120’ plus, saying that the target is not to come to power but to bring in development to Odisha. Notably, the BJP has set a target to secure more than 120 seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly in the elections in 2019. (IANS)