Removal of regional bias emphasised

SAMBALPUR: Regional imbalance and poverty in Odisha cannot be refuted while the State’s GDP was misleading, said former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo on Sunday.Addressing a conclave on ‘Odisha Budget-Aspirations and Reality’ here, Kanungo questioned the State Government for its reluctance to table Justice S K Mohanty’s report on regional imbalance. There should not be any delay in making the report public, he said.

The report will help the Government to remove regional imbalance and wipe out ill-feeling among people of different regions. The recently released Economic Survey report states that 56 per cent people in Southern Revenue Range, 42 per cent in Northern Range and 21 per cent in Central Range still live below poverty line while the Budget does not have any provision to eliminate the discrepancies, he said.

While lauding the State Government’s plan to provide loan to sharecroppers, Kanungo said several closed PSUs in Odisha need to be revived to generate employment. But the State Budget does not have any provision for their revival.

Maintaining that the State Government has failed to remove regional imbalance, he said the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) today has become direction-less and the funds with it are not being utilised properly. It is high time the MLAs from western Odisha unite and bring the headquarters of WODC to the region, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Jharsuguda Congress MLA Naba Kishore Das said the State Government is wilting under loan pressure. Each person in the State carries a loan of `20,000 on his head. If there has been development, then why are schools without teachers and hospitals without doctors, Das questioned.
The Congress leader said he would support Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik if he helps him in development of Jharsuguda. Deputy Chief Whip of the Government Rohit Pujari highlighted the allocation by the State Government in various sectors and said there has been visible development in the State citing infrastructure development in Sambalpur.Among others, Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University Dr Deepak Kumar Behera was present.