Bhubaneswar: For the first time, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on creation of irrigation potential in the state through a letter.
As elections come closer, neither the ruling BJD nor the BJP leaves no chance to attack and retaliate each other. Not only at the party level, but also at the government level, both the parties have engaged themselves in a war of words.
While addressing a rally at Khurda December 24 last, Modi had criticised the Naveen government stating that additional irrigation potential for only 22,000 hectare has been created by the BJD government in the last four years while the party had promised to irrigate 10 lakh hectare in its election manifesto.
Taking exception to the statement of Modi, Naveen said, “I would like to furnish the following facts. Irrigation is the pivotal infrastructure that supports agriculture. We had promised to create 10 lakh hectare irrigation potential. I am happy to share that since 2014, Odisha has created an additional irrigation potential of 7.8 lakh hectare.”
“We are on course to surpass the 10 lakh hectare target set by my government for itself,” he wrote to the PM, Thursday.
From 2014, he said, Rs 26,889 crore had been spent in irrigation and water sector with a contribution of Rs 1211 crore which works out to 4.5 per cent of the Central contribution through PMKGY (AIBP). In fact, in the current fiscal, Rs10,196 crore has been provided by the state, he pointed out.
Giving details of programme and projects taken by the state government on irrigation sector, Naveen claimed that Odisha is amongst the top states in the country in investment on irrigation as well as creation of irrigation potential.
Wishing the Prime Minister a very Happy New Year, the Chief Minister said his government will render all necessary support for speedy completion of the projects, whose foundation stone were laid by Modi during his last visit to Odisha.