New Delhi: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Thursday expressed dissatisfaction over poor allocation to Odisha in the Railway Budget this year and urged the Union government to take steps for expansion of rail network in the state.
Speaking on the general discussion on Union Budget 2021-22 in the Rajya Sabha, BJD MP Sujeet Kumar said that six districts in the state are deprived of rail connectivity. He said that in last seven years only one additional district has got railway network.
Despite the fact that East Coast Railway is one of the profitable zones in the country, Kumar said, the rail density in Odisha stands at 15 which is less than national average of 19.
“The Odisha government had requested allocation of Rs 7,200 crore in this year’s Rail Budget, but we got only Rs 5,528 crore. I request the Union government that there is an urgent need to expand the rail network in the state to improve rail density. The state government is committed to extend all help to the Railway Ministry for implementation of railway projects in the state, including filling the viability gap, offering free land, forming special purpose vehicles, if required,” Kumar said.
The BJD MP also raised concern over the marginal hike in defence budget this year.
“At Rs 4.78 lakh crore, the total Defence Budget Estimates for FY 2021-22 is only 1.4 per cent higher over last year’s Rs 4.71 lakh crore. While we face two hostile nations – Pakistan and China, Pakistan has increased its recent 2020-21 Defence Budget with 5 per cent hike as compared to 2019-20 and China has increased its 2020-21 Defence Budget by 6.6 per cent as compared to 2019-20,” Kumar pointed out.