Odisha govt forced state farmers to sell paddy below MSP: says Dharmendra Pradhan

Odisha government has forced the state's farmers to sell below the minimum-support-price fixed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said on Monday.

Addressing a gathering at Jabab Maguchi Odisha programme at Nabarangpur, the Union Minister said: "Centre has been putting immense efforts to improve Odisha's farmer situation, however, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's government has forced the state farmers to sell their paddy below the MSP fixed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government."

"Farmers in Nabarangpur are yet to get proper irrigation facilities. The ruling party BJD had promised to irrigate 35 per cent agriculture land in the district, but is yet to fulfill that promise," Pradhan said.

Continuing his tirade against Patnaik for not utilizing funds allocated by the Centre for the development of the state, Pradhan said, "People of Nabarangpur are showing displeasure at the 19-year-old Biju Janata Dal government over lack of basic facilities like drinking water, irrigation, education, unemployment and health infrastructure in the district."

"Schools in Nabarangpur are facing a shortage of teachers. Tribal students are deprived of quality education. Even after the Centre provided adequate funds to build toilets for women in the district, the state government has deliberately deprived the women of their basic right of proper sanitation.

" Not only this, media reports have unearthed a massive corruption in tendering process of Water Resources Department for a project for Rs 24 crore for Indravati - Kolab basin under Nabarangpur irrigation division," the Union Minister said.

Attacking the state government for poor infrastructure in Nabrangpur, Pradhan asserted, "Healthcare infrastructure is poor in Nabrangpur. Out of 190 sanctioned doctor posts in the district government hospital, around 87 posts are currently lying vacant. Nabarangpur is positioned at 575th rank out of 600 districts in the country, which are battling with the problem of malnutrition."

After the Modi government came to power in 2014, around 1.78 lakhs households were provided LPG connection at Nabarangpur district an increase from the 15,000 households who had LPG connection till then, Pradhan said praising the Modi-led government for implementing various schemes for the development of rural and urban areas.