Bhubaneswar: The state planning board headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has spent Rs 2.79 crore in the last five years without holding a single meeting, Planning Convergence minister Usha Devi informed the Assembly Thursday.
Replying to a question of BJP legislator Dillip Ray, Devi admitted the state planning board hasn’t held any meeting for one decade. The last meeting of the apex planning body of the government was held October 15, 2007, under the chairmanship of Naveen.
Though former minister Bishnu Das was appointed as the deputy chairman of the board March 18 this year several posts of members are lying vacant.
Beside CM and Das, the board is having a member, Ramchandra Panda, advisor RN Das and officer on special duty (OSD) Sujit Kumar, the minister said, adding, “Both the member and the advisor are enjoying minister of state status while the OSD has been given the rank of special secretary.”
The government has spent Rs 2.79 crore for functioning of the body between 2012-13 and 2016-17 while a budgetary provision of Rs1.04 crore has been made for the panel during this time, she said.
According to written statement of the minister, Rs 48.05 lakh has been spent on the board in 2012-13, Rs 45.76 lakh in 2013-14, Rs 44.09 lakh during 2014-15, Rs 68.51 in the next year and Rs 73.05 lakh in last financial year.
The proposal for restructuring of the planning body is under serious consideration of the state government, she added.
Following the restructuring of the planning commission to NITI Aayog at the national-level, the state government had also planned to refashion its planning body.
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