Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janta Dal president Naveen Patnaik promised free electricity to people consuming up to 100 units of power per month while those consuming 100 to 150 units per month will be given the option to avail of rebate of 50 units, in his party's poll manifesto.
Releasing his party’s manifesto for 2024 the assembly elections on Thursday at Bhubaneswar, Patnaik also promised free electricity for farmers.
B.C. Jen a prominent power expert in the country and former CMD, GRIDCO (Grid Corporation of Odisha), Odisha, said almost everyone in rural areas and the poor in urban areas, including slum dwellers, would benefit from this, if implemented.
As far as agriculture is concerned, it involves only 3 to 4 per cent of power consumption in the state. Odisha was the first state in India that had gone for privatsation in power distribution in the country in the nineties when the present chief minister’s father late Biju Patnaik was the CM. Now, Tata Power is handling the job in the state.
Patnaik said the power relief package in the BJD manifesto will benefit 90 per cent of the state’s population. He said 75 per cent of people in the state consume within 100 units of power per month. Another 10 per cent consume between 100 to 150 units of electricity. The CM hoped this step will not only ensure power security but also encourage responsible use of electricity. Free power for agriculture will benefit farmers as it will reduce the burden on the farming community and boost agricultural production.
Announcing that Odisha will be made the number one state in all spheres by 2034, two years before the state will observe the centenary year of its formation in 1936, the CM said this will be made possible as his government, in last 24 years, has transformed Odisha converting it from a poverty-stricken, under-developed, hunger-prone, natural calamity-affected province to a modern, growth-oriented state.
Giving emphasis on youth as almost half of the state’s population is below 25 years of age and 65 per cent of the population is below the age of 35, BJD manifesto stated that the young population will be empowered to play a major role in making the state number 1. For this, a separate budget of Rs 1 lakh for the youth for ten years will be kept aside.
Like climate and gender budgets, a separate youth budget will be placed in the assembly, the manifesto said. It will be the first of its kind in the whole world, in which, as per the suggestions of the youth, each year Rs 1,000 crore will be spent from this amount, Patnaik said.
The state government will provide jobs to two lakh persons in the next five years, the manifesto said. The student scholarship amount for girls and boys will be increased to Rs 14,000 and Rs 12,000 respectively. Students in diploma and degree courses will be eligible for this.
Swayam Udyogi loan for youth amount will be increased to Rs. 2 lakh from the present Rs. 1 lakh and its coverage will be widened. The state will have an Artificial Intelligence University besides a new Skill and Entrepreneur University and State Institute of Fashion Technology.
The manifesto said the economic ecosystem will be strengthened for the economic growth of the state.
Besides, mineral-based industries, semiconductors, IT, and AI will be given increased importance.
For environment-friendly tourism, attention will be given to 100 sites. Reputed technical and management institutions will be encouraged to establish their campuses in Odisha. The state government will go for planned urbanisation improvement, creative productivity, and transformation. Four mega urban clusters have been proposed in the state around Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Khurda-Puri in coastal Odisha, Sambalpur-Jharsuguda-Rourkela in western Odisha, Baripada-Balasore-Bhadrak cluster in north Odisha and Berhampur-Chhatrapur-Gopalpur in south Odisha. It is proposed to develop important towns. These urban clusters will help in the increase of demand and will be centres of economic growth, the manifesto said. The beach town Puri will be developed as an international city along with an international airport which is in the initial phase of making.
The just-started Metro Rail project of Bhubaneswar will be connected with Cuttack, Khurda and Puri. Along with airports, 20 important towns of the state will have Laccmi bus connections. Through Biju Economic Corridor, special attention will be given for the development of western and south Odisha.
Stating that middle-class people play an important role in the state’s progress, the manifesto promises interest subvention on housing loan upto Rs 20 lakh besides the same facility on loan for easy transport facility for them.
While the BJD government is extending a lot of facilities to women, the manifesto says Odisha will be the first state to provide interest-free loan upto Rs. 15 lakh to women. The women self help groups (SHG) will be provided Rs 1.5 lakh crore fiscal linkage in the next five years and Rs 2500 crore interest will be refunded to them. It will help the SHGs to transform to small and medium enterprises.
In the next ten years, SHGs will be given government business of Rs 20,000 crore. A corpus fund of Rs 100 crore will be created to provide subsidy-linked loan to individual women entrepreneurs.
All grassroot women workers, community help employees, Anganwadi and ASHA workers will get BSKY health insurance coverage and social security pension, the manifesto promised. By adding Naveen card to BSKY it is assured that government employees, middle class, and contractual labourers will be included in it in phases.
The youth from SC/ST/OBC communities will be given interest-free loan upto Rs 10 lakh for entrepreneurship. In rural housing, 10 lakh houses will be provided. For food security, all eligible families will be given ration cards which will cover all families. The existing KALIA grant for farmers will continue and be expanded. Crop loan upto Rs. 1.5 lakh will be made interest-free.
To save fishermen from monsoon uncertainty Rs 15000 will be given in a year.
While the BJP has given stress on Odia language, culture and pride, the BJD manifesto says Rs. 100 crore will be provided for development of Odia as a classical language. A separate corpus fund of Rs 1000 crore will be there as heritage development for upkeep, conservation of places of worship, heritage sites and places linked with dignitaries. For the development and research, study and investigation on Western Odisha language a corpus fund of Rs. 25 crore will be created beside a centre of excellence in western Odisha’s Sambalpur University.
One hundred schools of Odisha associated with important personalities will be developed as heritage schools. In line with Padmashree and Padmabhushan awards of Union government Odisha will institute Kalingashree and Kalingabhushan awards every year.