Weeklyroundups

Naveen’s fresh RS team: W Odisha ignored

Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik has finalised a list of three persons who are relatively fresh for the BJD with Prasanta Nanda being the exception. Nanda had his political debut with the BJP when Odisha had a coalition ministry of long nine years.

He was shown the door on charges of corruption but later welcomed to the BJD itself and worked for the party in various positions.  As regards Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, he was hobnobbing with the CM since May 14 last year for something or the other.  So, there was no surprise at all if it contradicts the media speculations going around for over a fortnight. But Soumya getting a RS ticket is a surprise to himself as well as to BJD’s rank and file. But for Achyuta Samanta, it came on a platter. He perhaps had not expected such an offer from the CM.

On two counts, the decision of the CM has come in for criticism. There is no one from the western Odisha despite the fact that all the retired candidates belong to the region. Former Chairperson of Odisha Women Commission Jyoti Panigrahi criticized the CM for not considering a women candidate, let alone her own candidature. The dissatisfaction among the aspirants has deep ramifications than what looks from outside. Inducting three expert members from western Odisha to WODC, known as the political rehabilitation centre of the BJD, is no compensation and the reaction in the BJD camp is brewing. Possibility of several leaders quitting the party on this occasion would have been the normal fallout, but Bijepur by-poll victory has stemmed theexodus.

Odisha not preferred as destination for jobs

Odisha has figured in the bottom-10 States as hiring intent in Odisha in 2018 looks dim. Such a grim noting has come to the fore in the recently released India Skills Report-2018 by an organization of repute – the UNDP.  The damning fact is in the India Hiring Intent Survey, Odisha figured in bottom -10 as only 1.6 per cent employers have expressed intent to go for hiring in Odisha in 2018 vis-a-vis of 16.5 per cent for Maharastra.  The big lesson for Odisha is all mineral bearing States, including Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, figured in bottom-10 States.  Significantly, Uttar Pradesh figured in top-5 as a whopping over 9 per cent employers expressed hiring intent in 2018 there but no State driven by mineral/coal economy figured in top-10 with highest employment.

Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Goa were nowhere in the list. The inference is new-age job churning States walk away as big drawer of employment in the country. The report has another big takeaway for State that is betting big in skilling by depending on ITI and poly-techniques. ITI and poly-techniques students’ employability is a challenge among all domain students because of less focus on industry alliance and core employable skills, though MNCs are in wait and watch mode, the report says.

Tripura poll result won’t repeat in Odisha

If Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram’s statement is to be believed then Naveen Patnaik is going to meet the fate of Manik Sarkar of Tripura in the 2019 general elections. “BJP’s vote percentage has almost doubled in Bijepur by-election and BJD’s victory will not be repeated when Odisha faces the general election of 2019.

People will vote against corruption, political violence, Government sponsored violence, exploitation and partisan politics and opt for the BJP as the best party,” said Oram.

The BJP is the only alternative to the BJD in Odisha as people have discarded Congress, the Minister said. But Panchayatraj Minister Pradeep Maharathy pooh-poohed Oram’s assertion, saying lotus would never bloom in Odisha as the BJP has double standards a regards the Mahanadi water.

“Let the BJP dream, but it will get 12 to 20 MLAs, a number with deletion of either first or last digit of its target of 120,” he maintained.

It may be remembered that Maharathy had confidently forecast BJD’s win in Bijepur by-poll and announced that he would renounce politics, if he was to go wrong.

Going by this forecast, the BJP has to play its anti-incumbency card more vigorously as only 13 months are left for the finale.

The BJP sees its Bijepur result with confidence as its vote share has witnessed a remarkable increase. Even in poll they basked in the euphoria of poll per cent rise.

As such, if they try to concentrate only on improving the vote share, its target of overthrowing the regional outfit will remain a distant dream as Tripura conditions do not prevail in Odisha.

Kudos to S’garh tribals’ community spirit

Marchidihi, a hilly hamlet, is under the Phuljhar gram panchayat of Lahunipada block. It houses about 15 families of the primitive Paudi Bhuyan tribe who prefer to stay on the hill to get common and rare minor forests produces and depend on agriculture on a small scale.

The village has no road connectivity due to hostile hilly and forest terrains.

The villagers had urged the Phuljhor panchayat and Bonai sub-division authorities for providing road connectivity but when the administration failed to address the issue, a group of villagers decided to volunteer themselves for cutting the hill and lay a road of 5 km stretch connecting Badjal revenue village, 2km away from the Phuljhor GP headquarters.  The villagers are now halfway through as roughly 3 km of the temporary road has been carved out.

One may ask as to what the Paudi Bhuyan Development Committee was doing all along? Hats off to the villagers who dared to take up such a selfless job that would provide the villagers direct road access.