Bhubaneswar: In response to a report in Orissa POST, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) Friday uploaded the asset details of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his council of ministers for the financial year 2017-18.
Orissa POST published the article December 13 titled “CMO not adhering to Naveen’s 3T mantra”. This article had gone viral soon after being published and led to a debate on the social media.
As per the latest declaration of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, his assets increased slightly over `2.81 lakh during the past year to over `49 crore. Naveen has declared his movable and immovable properties worth around `49,25,02,674. From `49,22,21,637 – a hike of `2,81,037 as compared to his assets in 2016-17.
While there is no increase in the worth of the Chief Minister’s immovable properties, the worth of his movable property has gone up by `2.81 lakh. The total worth of the CM’s movable properties now stands at `29,68,647.
According to the declaration, the Chief Minister did not repay a loan of `15 lakh he had availed from his sister Gita Mehta. Patnaik owns an Ambassador car of 1980 model worth just `8,905.
Patnaik’s immovable properties also includes his 2/3rd share in his Bhubaneswar residence, Naveen Niwas, 50 per cent share in a property at APJ Abdul Kalam Road in New Delhi and a 22.7-acre farm along with a building at Faridabad in Haryana, the statement said.
In addition, the Chief Minister has `27.38 lakh deposited in various bank accounts in Odisha and New Delhi. This apart, the he possesses jewellery worth `2,21,200.
Not only Naveen, all 19 members of his council of ministers have also declared their property statements for the last financial year.
The properties of minister Anant Das’ family amounts to Rs 3.41 crore, of which immovable property is worth Rs 2.66 crore, while movable property is worth Rs 74.24 lakh.
The total asset of minister Pradeep Maharathy and his family increased to Rs 4.12 crore from Rs 4.10 crore declared in the previous year. His personal assets are worth over Rs 2.68 crore, while his wife, a lecturer by profession, has acquired assets worth Rs 1.42 crore. In addition, his daughter Pallavi Maharathy owns assets worth Rs 2.43 lakh.
Maheswar Mohanty is another crorepati member in Naveen’s Cabinet. The total assets declared by Mohanty (including his family) is to the tune of Rs 2.93 crore.
Similarly, Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Chandra Panda has declared that he and his family own assets worth over Rs 5.33 crore.
Interestingly, the value of immovable properties including land, plots and flats of Panda has not increased. In the declaration for the year 2016-17, Panda had declared that market value of his immovable properties is about Rs 4.04 crore, which remained the same in the deceleration given by him for the year 2017-18. All these properties are there located in Bhubaneswar tehsil area.
Not only Panda, the value of immovable assets of his wife in Bhubaneswar and Puri also remain same even aftter a year.
The total properties of minister Chandra Sarathi Behera is Rs 1.26 crore, while Water Resources Minister Niranjan Pujari has declared that he and his wife own properties worth Rs 3.56 crore. The total assets of Pujari is worth Rs 2.11 crore.
Cabinet ministers Bikram Keshari Arukh and Nrusingha Charan Sahoo have also not mentioned the market value of their plots, flats and other landed property.
Minister Prafulla Mallik, who holds Works and Steel & Mines departments, has stated that the market value of his lands has not increased in the past one year. The value of his other assets like furniture, laptop, and a TV set has not depreciated either during the period.
The declaration by Surya Narayan Patro says that he and his wife Usha Devi own assets of nearly Rs 5 crore. Patro and wife have also claimed that the market values of his immovable properties have not increased.
The assets of Prafulla Samal has been increased to Rs 1.51 crore from Rs 1.48 crore in 2016-17, whereas the total assets of Pratap Jena has been gone up to Rs 5.38 crore in 2017-18.
Minister Snehangini Churia has claimed that the value of her assets has depreciated to Rs 1.24 crore from Rs 1.28 crore in the last year. Ministers like Bijayshree Routray and Sashi Bhusan Behera are some other rich members owing assets worth crores.