Bhubaneswar: Reiterating the party’s stand on distribution of tickets, Congress state in-charge Jitendra Singh Tuesday said that the party would stick to ‘only one ticket to one family’ policy.
Speaking to reporters here after chairing Coordination Committee meeting of state Congress, Singh said merit of a candidate is the only criterion to obtain a ticket. “No recommendation will work this time. The tickets will be distributed on the basis of merit,” Singh said.
“The AICC has already announced a Screening Committee to identify candidates to contest elections on party tickets. Within next few days, candidates will be selected for tickets which will be distributed only on merit basis and not on recommendations,” Singh said. Selection of around 50 per cent candidates will be over by August end, he added.
Commenting on the decision, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said that they would follow the instructions given by the party high command.
Sources said All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Rahul Gandhi will visit the state in August and meet the party workers at the grassroots level to boost their morale.
Earlier too the party had announced that it will adopt ‘one family, one ticket’ policy, which was strongly opposed by many leaders of the party including Suresh Routray.
Later, PCC Campaigning Committee chairman Bhakta Das revised the decision and said tickets would be given to the leaders capable of winning the polls.
Industrialists reluctant to invest in state: Cong
Bhubaneswar: A week after the state slipped three notches to the 14th position in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings, Opposition Congress Tuesday said industrialists are reluctant to invest in the state.
Although the state government claimed they have “excelled on all fronts”, the large corporate houses and the MSME sectors are not satisfied with the business climate provided in the state, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said.
“The BJD government said all facilities have been made available here to set up industries, but only half of the promoters, who have signed MoU with the state, have started work on their projects. Many industries and business houses are now in search of another option,” a statement issued by Patnaik claimed. This apart, the uncertainty over supply of raw materials also makes investors reluctant to go for “realisation of full capacity”, as mentioned in the MoU, he added.
“Most of the projects are entangled in land acquisition issues. Out of 92 MoUs signed two years ago, only 46 have gone for partial production, as per the government data,” Patnaik stated.
On employment generation in the state, the OPCC president said the Labour Bureau Report shows that around 2.6 lakh graduates are aspiring for jobs in the state.
“The figure goes on to show the acuteness of the problem of joblessness in a state enriched with natural resources,” he said.
The Congress leader asserted that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik must take immediate steps to create employment opportunities for the unemployed youth of Odisha.