Bhubaneswar: Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Saturday said Odisha needs a good governance, corruption-free government to properly utilise the state’s vast and rich resources.
Despite huge and rich mineral resources, Odisha is lagging in many sectors of development, Jaishankar said while addressing a press conference here.
The Union Minister arrived here Saturday on a two-day visit to the state to hold discussions with party leaders and workers in the run-up to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the state.
The resource utilisation in the state needs good governance, and employment-friendly and corruption-free government, Jaishankar said and hoped that the people of Odisha will vote for BJP to carry forward the developmental agenda of Modi.
He claimed that Odisha occupies a special focus in Modi’s development plan and said during the last ten years the Modi government has provided Rs.18 lakh crores of central funds to the state.
In Abbs Yojana 2.7lakh beneficiaries in the state have been provided with pucca houses while 53 lakh women have benefited under the Ujjala scheme and Rs.54,000 crores has been provided for the Sagarmala project in Odisha.
Jainshankar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has great respect for Odisha’s culture, heritage, and tradition which has been recognized in the entire world. The replica of the Konark wheel displayed at the G20 summit has proved how much Modi ji loved the culture and tradition of Odisha.
Narendra Modi, he said, has taken immediate steps to evacuate Odia people stranded in the war-torn Ukraine, Israel, and Sudan.
“We hope that the people of Odisha will vote for Modi at the centre and also form the BJP government in the state as Odisha needs a BJP government to carry forward Modi’s development agenda”, the Union Minister said.
Odisha votes, he said will strengthen the hands of Modi adding that he has full confidence that the people of Odisha will repose trust on Modi, make right choice, and help Modi’s call for “Abki bar 400 paar ” in the Lok Sabha election.
Modi will never compromise as far as national security is concerned, Jaishankar said adding that, for Modi the country is first and also its security, be it cross-border terrorism or any security threat to the country.
On cross-border terrorism, he said we were tolerating it till Modi but after Modi in 2014 things have changed and we have made it clear that we will give a fitting and appropriate response to the cross-border terrorism, citing the example of the Balakote strike.
To a question, the Union Minister said Odisha has to be led by someone who has come from the grassroots level.
UNI