Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Congress in Odisha Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce a special package for the state as the ruling BJP has been claiming that the Centre is giving importance to it.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam made the demand here.
“The prime minister has been frequently touring Odisha. He has visited the state four times and is about to make another visit Tuesday. I appeal to him to announce a special package for the state,” Kadam told reporters.
PM Modi has so far visited Odisha four times since June 2024 after the BJP came to power in the state.
The PM is scheduled to visit the Odisha state capital Tuesday to inaugurate the state’s flagship business summit- Utkarsh Odisha, Make in Odisha Conclave 2025.
As Odisha has several problems like farmers’ crop loss due to unseasonal rains and others, the Centre should announce a special package for the state, Kadam said.
“He (PM) has announced a special package for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, but not for Odisha,” Kadam said, adding that the state now has a double-engine government for which expectations are high.
Kadam also claimed that half of Odisha’s Malkangiri district will be submerged after completion of the Polavaram Project, which is being promoted by the BJP-led central government.
Besides, the Centre and the state’s BJP government are “silent” over the Kotia cluster of villages in Koraput district where Andhra Pradesh has been frequently intruding, he alleged.
“The BJP government should resolve Odisha’s issue with Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
Justifying his party’s demand, Kadam said that Odisha is a natural calamity-prone state and one-fourth of its population is tribal. Therefore, the state deserves to get special attention and the Prime Minister should announce a package.
“The people of Odisha have voted the BJP to power (last year). They have also elected 20 MPs from the party in the last Lok Sabha elections. Modi’s visit should aim at the state’s development and not be restricted to political purposes only,” he said.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of the prime minister to announce a special package for the overall development of the state, Kadam added.
Earlier during the day, Odisha Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain said that the PM’s visit to inaugurate the Utkarsh Odisha, Make in Odisha Conclave 2025, will encourage investors to set up their projects in the state.
