In a significant turn of events, the BJP stormed to power in last Assembly polls dethroning the BJD which was in the office for the last 24 years. As the Mohan Charan Majhi-led government completes 100 days today, OrissaPOST takes a close look at some of its landmark achievements
All 4 gates of Srimandir reopened
Just a few hours after taking oath, state’s BJP government in its first Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi June 12 approved the proposal to reopen all four gates of Srimandir in Puri. Accordingly, the four gates of the shrine were reopened in the presence of the CM, Deputy CMs, Cabinet ministers, MLAs and Puri MP Sambit Patra the next morning. The government, in line with the Cabinet decision, also created a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore for conservation, maintenance and management of the 12th-century shrine. Stating that reopening all the gates of the temple was one of the promises in the BJP’s election manifesto, the CM said that devotees were facing problems due to closure of the gates by the previous administration since the Covid19 pandemic. The devotees could enter through only one gate and there were demands that all gates be opened.
Subhadra Yojana
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Odisha’s government’s flagship women empowerment scheme – Subhadra Yojana, September 17. After the launch, the PM initiated the fund transfer to more than 10 lakh women. The scheme will cover over one crore beneficiaries. Under it, each eligible woman is entitled to receive a total sum of Rs 50,000 over a span of five years, starting 2024-25 fiscal. The financial aid will be disbursed in annual instalments of Rs 10,000, delivered in two equal parts directly into their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
CM-Kisan Yojana
The Chief Minister launched the CM-Kisan Yojana from Sambalpur on the occasion of Nuakhai, the state’s major agrarian festival, September 8. Under the scheme, eligible farmers will receive Rs 4,000 in two instalments per annum. The first instalment was disbursed on Nuakhai, and the rest will be credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts on Akshaya Tritiya. Around 46 lakh farmers are likely to benefit from the scheme. On the occasion of Nuakhai, around Rs 925 crore was credited to the accounts of the farmers. Landless farmers will also benefit from the scheme. The landless farmers are entitled to Rs 12,500. Launching the scheme at the GM University campus in Sambalpur, the CM said, “A special drive will be launched across the state, and it will continue for two months.”
CM revives grievance cell
The CM revived the public grievance hearing July 1 around 16 years after its discontinuation. Many people, including the differently-abled, turned up to meet the CM and lodge their grievances. Majhi said, “The first priority of the state government is to listen to the people’s grievances and resolve them. For this, from the grassroots to the district and state levels, we are trying to revive the system of hearing the public grievances and how the people benefit from it.” He added, “For the last few years during the last regime, there was an iron wall between the people and the administration. Today, we dismantled the iron wall. The Chief Minister’s Grievance Cell started again. Sometimes people go to different forums but they fail to get their issues addressed. Many people who fail to get justice now can hope to get justice.”
Paddy MSP up
In what came as good news for farmers, the state government June 20 decided to procure paddy from farmers at Rs 3,100 per quintal from this Kharif season. “Rs 800 per quintal to be paid for paddy over and above the minimum support price (MSP) under Samrudha Krushak Yojana. The move aimed at benefitting over 20 lakh farmers,” the state government said. The Centre had declared Rs 2,300 as MSP for paddy for this year.
Secretariat access to scribes
On its first day in office, the BJP government opened the doors of Lok Seva Bhawan, the heart of the state’s administration, to the media. For nearly four years, the Secretariat had been off limits to journalists, as the previous government had barred their access during the Covid-19 pandemic. Even after the pandemic subsided, the former administration did not revoke the entry ban, despite calls for change from Opposition leaders and journalist associations. The BJP had highlighted this issue during their poll campaign, promising to end this undemocratic practice if elected.
Ratna Bhandar reopened after 46 years Ratna Bhandar
the revered treasury at the 12th-century Srimandir in Puri, was reopened July 14 after 46 years for an inventory of valuables and the repair of its structure. The reopening of the Ratna Bhandar was a major political issue during the last Assembly elections. The treasury was last opened in 1978, and at that time, it took 70 days to prepare the inventory of the valuables, which have been donated to the temple by devotees over centuries. An attempt was made in 2018 as well to reopen the Ratna Bhandar on the direction of the Orissa High Court but the original keys could not be found, and eventually, the plan was abandoned. The government has decided to prepare a digital catalogue of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar that will have details such as their weight.