New Delhi: Speaking at the Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik put forward the demand for a ‘special focus’ status for his state, news agency IANS reported. Urging the central government to bestow the status of a ‘special focus state’ on Odisha, the CM said central funds should be allocated for disaster proofing as the state is often hit by natural calamities.
Addressing the meeting, Patnaik said Odisha faces natural disasters almost every year. “It's important to have disaster resilient infrastructure to protect the state and its people from the vagaries of nature,” IANS quoted him as saying.
Claiming the eastern state has faced years of neglect when it comes to addressing issues that are in the domain of the Central list —telecom, railways and banking, the chief minister said the state has the lowest density in crucial infrastructure in all these areas.
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Urging the Modi government to undo years of central neglect, Patnaik, who is known to share a good personal rapport and working relationship with the Prime Minister, said, “The central government should give ‘special focus’ status to Odisha.”
The CM further claimed that the ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ (PMFBY) has some implementation issues on the ground in his state because of which genuine farmers are deprived in some cases. Patnaik called on the Niti Aayog to study the lapses and suggest ways to protect the interest of farmers.
“As regards the rural housing scheme, PMAY, most of our tribal and KBK districts have been bypassed from the new allocation. I would request the central government to immediately resolve this issue and allocate houses,” the Odisha CM said.