Odisha to restructure plan panel

The Odisha government has decided to revamp the state Planning Board and develop it as a 'Professional Think Tank'.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took the decision to restructure the plan panel after holding the annual review meeting of the Planning and Coordination Department here on Tuesday.

To attune the developmental schemes with the local needs in the state, the chief minister advised making district-level policies more fruitful to abolish the regional imbalance in the state.

However, the opposition dubbed it as a publicity stunt.

"While the state planning board has met only once in the last 11 years, the chief minister is trying to give it a new dimension without any thrust and commitment," said senior BJP leader and newly-appointed national BJP secretary Suresh Pujari.

He said the planning board has never utilized its power even though formulation of policy guidelines for short-term and long-term annual plan and five-year plans is part of the activities of the board.