Bhubaneswar: Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha today said Odisha can benefit a lot from Jan Dhan Yojana, Mudra Yojana and Jan Suraksha Yojana with opening of more banks and ATMs.
Speaking to media persons after a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat here, Sinha said, “There are at least five or six areas where Odisha and the Centre can work together more closely. Financial inclusion is the top priority for us and the series of progarmmes launched for this end will benefit the State a lot with opening of more bank branches and ATMs. We will work together in this direction and I look forward to collaborate with the State on the matter.”
Sinha also stated that the BJD supports the Goods and Sales Tax (GST) Bill and the NDA government is hopeful of getting the bill passed in the Parliament in the ensuing session.
Mounting an attack on the Congress, Sinha said; “Congress is conspiring not to let the GST Bill get passed in the Parliament and posing hurdles in the country's development process by stalling the proceedings of Parliament during the session.”
He added the NDA believes in a federal structure.
Earlier in the day, Sinha also met MPs and bankers of the State. He directed the bankers to open branches in panchayats of Odisha where there is no presence of a bank at present.
On Saturday morning, Sinha would address ‘Foresight-2016’, the annual conclave of OTV, where he would talk about “Role of Eastern India in the national economic growth story” before flying out to Hazaribag where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend a programme.