KALIA scheme setting benchmarks: Naveen

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday sought to silence his critics by asserting that Odisha is the only State in  the country which has doubled farmers income while positioning its economy on a higher growth trajectory.

Delivering a sharp comeback to his political rivals on a day when Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched a no holds barred attack on him, the Chief Minister said, “We are firmly on path of equitable and inclusive growth and are well poised for further acceleration in economic growth rate.”

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks on Governor’s address amidst Opposition walkout, the Chief Minister said the State is now on the path of rapid transformation and distinctly positioned as
a progressive State setting national, even global benchmarks.

“Odisha’s economy is firmly on a trajectory of steady growth. It is the only State in  the country which has doubled farmers’ income in real terms in the last one decade,” he said and added that the State is among the largest contributors to the public distribution system (PDS).

Dubbing KALIA scheme as a path-breaking initiative, the Chief Minister said the Centre adopted the scheme which is widely appreciated across the country. However, PM Kisan Yojana has no provision for sharecroppers and landless labourers, while KALIA covers about 92 per cent of the people engaged in farm sector.

Highlighting the success of “Ama Gaon Ama Bikash”, another pro-people initiative, the Chief Minister said nearly 63,000 projects, involving `1,554 crore, have been sanctioned in all 314 blocks in consultation with the locals.

On PEETHA, the Chief Minister said this is another initiative to empower the people through timely delivery of government programmes to intended beneficiaries in a transparent manner.

“Our transparent ways of governance have made us responsive to the changing needs of our time. Participation of people in the process of development of the State has been a source of inspiration for us. We will continue our endeavour to empower all sections of people,” he said.

Claiming that the 2018 edition of Make in Odisha Conclave was a roaring success with the State receiving investment intent of over `4.20 lakh crore, the Chief Minister said follow-up action is being taken for early grounding of these projects.

While the State has been honoured as the ‘top performer’ in the Start-up Rankings of States, the Chief Minister said it has now emerged as the major sports destination after successful organisation of national and international sporting events.

As the first half of the session was washed away with Opposition creating ruckus in the House, the Congress and BJP members created a similar scene just before the CM’s reply to the motion. The BJP and Congress members walked out as soon as the CM rose to give his reply.