New Delhi: In the first week of the Winter Session of the Parliament, issues about tribals, farmers, communication, and infrastructure development in Odisha were raised by the state MPs in both houses. On the first day of the session, BJD MP Niranjan Bishi highlighted the lack of internet services in several rural areas of Odisha while speaking on the Post Office Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha. Similarly, party MP Sujeet Kumar requested the government to increase tele-density and railway network in Odisha.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra reiterated Odisha’s demand for the inclusion of 169 communities in Odisha’s ST list and the inclusion of five tribal languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Patra also sought the withdrawal of 18 per cent of goods and services tax (GST) on kendu leaves. He further requested the government to release payments of crop insurance and also requested a hike in the minimum support price of paddy. Likewise, Rajya Sabha MP Manas Mangaraj sought early completion of the coastal highway project while Munna Khan and Mamata Mohanta batted for new railway services. Mohanta requested for railway services from Baripada to Balasore while Khan demanded Vande Bharat Express from Bhubaneswar to Visakhapatnam. Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab requested the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps for a short stay of the Bhubaneswar-Patna flight at Deoghar Airport for the benefit of pilgrims visiting Baidyanath Dham.
Similarly, BJD MP Chandra Sekhar Sahu raised the demand for setting up of a tribal university in Odisha. BJP MP from Bargarh Suresh Pujari raised the demand for bifurcation of districts, subdivision, and blocks in Odisha. He requested the Union government to impress upon the state government the bifurcation of districts sub-divisions and blocks for transparency in governance.
On the other hand, Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka (Koraput) demanded the early establishment of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Jeypore. He also raised the issue about the pending provident fund of retired employees of M/s Mother Earth Resources Pvt Ltd, Jeypore. Significantly, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reconstituted the panel of vice chairpersons and nominated Sasmit Patra and Sonal Mansingh among other MPs to the panel. The session will conclude December 22.
KULDEEP SINGH, OP
