Senior Congress leader Bhakta Charan moots special council for KBK districts

BHAWANIPATNA: Senior Congress leader Bhakta Charan Das on Saturday proposed to set up a Special Development Council (SDC) under Article 371 of the Constitution  for KBK districts, including Boudh and Kandhamal. Speaking at a seminar here, Das said of the 622 districts in the country, the socio-economic parameters of 10 districts in the State are lagging behind.  As per Government data, of these districts, Nuapada is at 589th position while Malkangiri is placed at 588th.

The 10 districts are prone to epidemics and fare poorly in terms of healthcare, education, employment and other parameters. Das said despite being rich in natural resources, the area continues to languish in neglect. The State Government should set aside one-third of the budget for the  development of the area and allocate at least Rs 50,000 crore per annum for the next 10 years till it comes on a par with other developed districts, he said. Participants of the seminar stressed the need for preparing a ‘vision document’ for development of the 10 backward districts.