Bhubaneswar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and ruling BJD have locked horns over the state government’s celebration of Children’s Day November 14.
While BJP lambasted the state government saying that around Rs 200 crore from the public coffers will be “misutilised’’ for the event, the BJD said the government did not need the saffron party’s concern on how to spend funds.
Addressing media persons here, state BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty said, “Rs 200 crore is to be squandered by the state government through this queer concept of Children’s Day observation in a bid to save Naveen Babu’s declining popularity,”
Mohanty claimed that the BJD government has directed 7,885 gram panchayats (GPs) in the state to spend Rs 20,000 each, while each block is spending Rs 1.1 lakh and that the figure is between Rs 10 and Rs 20 lakh to be spent for the district level functions. Similarly, there is no limit for spending fund for the state level function, he alleged.
For the Children’s Day observation, money will be spent under Information, Education & Communication (IEC) guidelines. The IEC is actually meant for sensitizing the beneficiaries of various schemes and programmes of Central and state governments. “But the government is misutilising the fund,’’ said the BJP.
The BJP has also opened a website (www.studenttips.in) to counter the BJD’s strategy to woo students. In its website, the BJP has highlighted the “failures’’ and “loopholes’’ of the state government.
BJD spokesperson Sameer Das said, “The state government doesn’t need prior approval of BJP for spending funds.”
School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra said, “Let BJP introspect as they have a government at the Centre and it is for them to find out how they are spending. IEC funds meant for expenses on sensitizing till the grassroots level.”
As for this Children’s Day celebration, Patra added: “What’s wrong with it? This is not at all a new programme. Every year it is observed. This year, Chief Minister will also participate as he desires to pledge students for the development of the state. He will give a message. He may also make some special announcement on that day.”
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