Politics intensifies over ‘Bikashita Gaon Bikashita Odisha’ guidelines

The political climate in Odisha heated following the State government’s introduction of new guidelines under the ‘Bikashita Gaon Bikashita Odisha’ initiative aimed at enhancing rural development, on Thursday.

Controversy centres on the extent to which these guidelines are a rebranding exercise following the recent change in government. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) contended that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government should focus on new initiatives rather than simply renaming programmes of the past government.

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“Already there is a yojana meant for the development of rural Odisha. This new yojana could have been implemented under the existing one. Changing the name of the scheme, because the government has changed, is not logical,” BJD leader Badri Patra said.

“Around seven months have passed in the meanwhile and the current government should take up new initiatives; rather than blaming the previous government,” Patra added.

In contrast, Congress has critiqued the current government, suggesting these actions mirror strategies from the previous government, highlighting perceived similarities in governance.

“The current BJP-led government is all the same as the previous BJD government,” Congress leader Nilamadhab Hikaka expressed.

The BJP has countered, questioning whether the BJD has anything new to say. It said that BJD leaders must have been demoralised, leading to repeated criticisms.

“BJD has lost its ground and the party leaders have nothing else to say than criticising the BJP-led government. They have become very demoralised due to the achievements of the current government within a short span of time,” Aska BJP MLA Saroj Kumar Padhi stated.

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Notably, in order to boost the rural infrastructure, enhance the quality of life in rural Odisha, and foster economic growth for holistic development of the State, the Odisha government launched a transformative umbrella Scheme called ‘Bikashita Gaon Bikashita Odisha’.

The ambitious scheme aims to bridge the critical gaps leading to accelerated and inclusive growth in rural Odisha by taking up various sustainable developmental projects. This will substantially lead to the development of varied forms of infrastructure and will act as a gateway to fulfil the objectives of Bikashita Odisha.