Rourkela, Sept 16: Orissa Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik today asked the people to cast their vote in favour of
BJD in the forthcoming municipal election for speedy
development of the state.
Addressing a series of public meetings here asking people
to vote for BJD in the September 19 municipal elections,
Patnaik criticised the UPA for neglecting Orissa and said
while the Union government extended helping hand to other
states, it showed an indifferent attitude towards Orissa.
Giving examples of the Centre's negligence, Patnaik said
the state had been losing huge revenue due to non-revision of
coal royalty and that of other minerals like iron ore.
"Our struggle against the Centre for our rights will
continue," the chief minister said.
Describing the UPA as "anti-people and anti-poor", he
said prices of essential commodities had increased, hitting
the common people.
Patnaik spoke about the various welfare schemes
implemented by the BJD government in Orissa to mitigate the
sufferings and difficulties of the poor and said providing
rice at Rs 2 per kg and pension under Madhubabu Pension Yojana
were among the most successful schemes for the poor.
The chief minister claimed that the state which was
bankrupt during the Congress regime had improved a lot
economically during his tenure of eight years, he said.
"We are trying to make our state the number one
developed state in the country," he said.
Bureau Report
