BJP Slams Naveen Govt. For Launching ‘Aahar’ Scheme Without Budgetary provision Ahead Of two Municipal Corporation Election
29 March, Bhubaneswar
The Odisha unit of BJP Sunday alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has some ulterior motive in the launching of ‘Aahar ‘ scheme for providing cheap meal of rice and dalma at Rs Five to the urban poor in the state.
Addressing the media persons here, BJP senior leader and former Minister Bijaya Mohapatra said the party was not opposed to the scheme and wanted to know why the scheme was not included in the budget.
Reacting to the statements of the ruling BJD leaders both inside and outside the Assembly against the central PSU for not funding the scheme, Mohapatra said the Chief Minister should know that the CSR activities of the central PSUs are meant for sustainable development and not for charity purposes.
He alleged that the Aahar scheme was announced by the Chief Minister keeping the Municipal corporation election in view and questioned why the central PSUs will fund the scheme which was meant for election purposes.
The ruling BJD leaders have criticised the Mahanadi Coal Field Limited(MCL0,the National Aluminium Company(NALCO) and the Steel Authority of India Limited(SAIL) for backing out the funding of the Aahar scheme in the state and described their action as anti-Odisha.
Mohapatra said if the Chief Minister was so concerned of the urban poor, he should have made budgetary provision for implementing the Aahar scheme instead of depending upon the central PSUs. He said the CSR money of the central PSUs should not be used for the populist measures of the ruling party.
The Chief Minister, he said should have gone through the guidelines of the CSR money of the PSUs which was meant for only sustainable development and creation of assets and not for the populist schemes of the state government.
The BJP leader claimed that the central PSUs in the state have been funding and spending crores of rupees on sustainable development and asset creation in the stat.