Odisha deprived of mega textiles park for lack of cooperation: Union Minister

Odisha was deprived of a mega textile park reportedly after the state government failed to put forth a proposal in this regard before the Central government. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Textiles, Darshana Jardosh on Wednesday in Bhubaneswar.

Speaking to the media, the Union Minister pointed an accusing finger at the state government for 'lack of cooperation' for a mega park project. She observed, "Odisha has got a huge potential in the textiles sector, but the cooperation from the state government was not made available. If the state government extends cooperation, the textile sector in Odisha can be taken forward.  

“We had received applications from various states, but Odisha did not make a bid and refrained from the competition. We had made the process completely transparent. The state’s share is 51 percent of the mega project. The mega project requires 1000 acres of land as part of an ecosystem involving production, manpower, value chains, and marketing linkage,” the Union Minister added.   

However, the ruling Biju Janata Dal(BJD) termed the statement of the Union Minister as politically motivated and accused the Central government of negligence toward the state.  

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Countering the Union Minister, BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahoo said, "The Chief Minister has repeatedly sent proposals through letters. The Central government has been intimated about the proposal at various forums. However, the Central government has been neglecting Odisha out of political acrimony.”  

He also pointed out that if the state government is not cooperating, then why the Central government is awarding the state for schemes in various sectors.