Bhubaneswar: After frequent meetings by party workers with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here to press for fulfillment of various demands of the party, BJD supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik himself Tuesday approached the CEO to apprise him of the need to allow release of KALIA funds to beneficiaries.
In a surprise move, the CM visited the CEO’s office here and urged the latter for allowing disbursement of next tranche of KALIA funds. In his representation, the Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the CEO not allowing KALIA disbursal while the Centre continued to release its funds under the PM-Kisan Yojana.
The CM accused the Election Commission of India of adopting a biased attitude and favouring the Centre while putting hurdles before release of KALIA funds by red-flagging it as a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
The CM hinted that he has lodged a strong complaint with the CEO on the issue. “I have come here to see the CEO about lodging of a strong complaint with the election office over stopping our government’s KALIA scheme for farmers,” Naveen told reporters outside the CEO’s office.
“This is most unfortunate as they haven’t stopped the agriculture (PM-Kisan) scheme of the central government. Also, the scheme is very important for farmers, particularly during this season when they require these funds desperately,” he added.
“I am also disappointed to see that the BJP had complained to the ECI about the KALIA scheme,” he said, adding, farmers of the state will give them a befitting reply.
Responding to it, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the PM-KISAN Yojana has a budgetary allocation and has a beneficiary list whereas the BJD government’s KAILA scheme doesn’t have either. “It is a scheme for party propaganda and to fool people. KALIA scheme is most likely to prove a bane for the regional party here, he said.
Visited the Chief Electoral Office to express disappointment on stoppage of @KaliaforOdisha and urged for it to be allowed for the sake of farmers in #Odisha as the fund is most required during the current season @ECISVEEP pic.twitter.com/7TY6V06MZY
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) April 9, 2019
Soon after the visit of the chief minister to CEO office, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also met the CEO and lodged a complaint on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
Pradhan also lodged a complaint with the CEO about some officers working as a political worker of the ruling BJD in the Chief Minister’s assembly constituency creating a terror and fear among the voters.
On the chief minister’s complaint about the stoppage of disbursement of funds under the Kalia scheme, the Union Minister said the state government is unable to furnish the list of the beneficiaries under the Kalia scheme.
He also alleged that there is no budgetary provision for the scheme and the Chief Minister’s visit to the CEO office is nothing just to create a sense of fear and mislead the voters.
Naveen Patnaik had even announced that if the party voted to power in the state, it will release two installments of Rs 10,000 at a time to the farmers under the scheme on the day the BJD formed the government.