Odisha failed to meet housing scheme deadlines: Yadav

Hitting out at Odisha government over housing schemes for the poor, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav today alleged the state has failed to meet the deadlines of different projects.
The projects in which the state government has failed to deliver are, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), he claimed after reviewing the progress of various Centrally-sponsored schemes in Odisha.
"The Odisha government has failed to meet targets even though it has sufficient funds. As many as 70,000 houses are yet to be completed under Indira Awas Yojana scheme in Odisha even though they have funds," he said.

Alleging that the state government has been misleading people, Yadav said, "The Odisha government has constructed only 1.81 lakh houses under 'Biju Awas Yojna' while above 9 lakh houses are built with the Central government's funds."
Informing that the Odisha government will get Rs 1,400 crore for rural housing, the Union Minister said the funds will be spent on meeting the target of constructing 2.95 lakh houses.
Rejecting the charges made by Yadav, spokesperson of the ruling BJD, S N Patro said, "The Union ministers do not have any other option except playing the old records whenever they visit the state. He (Yadav) knows very well that for assigning projects under centrally sponsored schemes the state government has to float tenders."

"The Union minister has been attempting to defame the state government," Patro claimed.