Bhubaneswar: A day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state for launching of Subhadra Yojana, Odisha Congress Monday raised questions about the meager amount (Rs 833) the women beneficiaries would get per month under the flagship scheme. At a presser held at Congress Bhawan here Tuesday, Odisha congress leader Biswaranjan Mohanty said the state government is spending huge amount of money on propagation of Subhadra Yojana. “The drawback of every BJP government is that it creates confusion and controversy whenever it launches any scheme,” he said.
“Before the elections, the saffron party leaders said that all women will be given Rs 50,000 immediately. But after coming to power, the government said that they will pay this money in five years. This comes to around Rs 833 per month and Rs 27 per day. In this sense, what kind of enterprise will a woman set up and be empowered,” Mohanty said. Similarly, the party, which made ‘Odia Asmita’ its major poll plank during campaign, has conveniently made Gujarat a model for Odisha. They have planned to suppress Odia Asmita by appointing non-Odia officers in some crucial posts. The Mohan Majhi government has identified itself as a true ‘Modi government’ by handing over Gopalpur port to Adani group. He said the BJP government had initially announced that it would launch Subhadra Yojana on Rath Yatra. Later, it was announced that the amount will be credited to beneficiaries’ accounts August 15. This never happened.
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Again, they announced to disburse the amount on the PM’s birthday September 17. He said that crores of rupees are being spent from the state exchequer for the launch of Subhadra Yojana but more than 30 per cent women population of the state are barred from this scheme. Moreover, 13 per cent of the beneficiaries are under the age of 18 while 17 per cent are above 60 years, he added. Senior Congress leader and former MP Ananta Prasad Sethi expressed his concern over splurging money from the state exchequer on the preparations for celebrating the PM’s birthday Tuesday
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP