Yadav received a grand welcome by the party after landing at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) last night.
Talking to media persons, Yadav said, "I have come to attend 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' programme of our party and to strengthen the booths. I will apprise the people of Odisha about the achievements of the Modi-led Government at the Centre in the last three years."
On the other hand Union Minister Mahesh Sharma has returned after attending the 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' programme during his one day visit in Nuapada district. Sharma had highlighted achievements of the Modi-led Government in the last three years and also criticised the State government during the event.
Sharma visited houses of Dalits and relished their dishes along with attending various programmes in the district.
Talking to media persons during his visit, Sharma said, "Development in Odisha should be at the same pace with Delhi and country, keeping it in view we all are on a country-wide tour to celebrate the three years completion of Modi-led Government and to strengthen party organisation at grassroots level."
“The Centre has been pumping in enough financial assistance to the Odisha government for development in rural areas. But, sadly, there is no proper utilisation of the funds in the implementation of the developmental programmes as the bureaucrats and the ruling party leaders are busy in misappropriating a major chunk of the assistance,” Yadav told media persons here.
Taking a gibe at chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the Union minister said the former despite being aware of the modus operandi, has remained silent which shows that he is protecting his party men and the bureaucrats and allowing them to indulge in corruption.
“Corruption in Odisha has reached the climax. The information I have received is that the ruling party leaders and bureaucrats are claiming 20-25% of the financial allocations from the contractors in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Besides, the beneficiaries are being asked to pay Rs 10,000 for each house in the Awas Yojana. Similar claims are also being made to the beneficiaries in the construction of toilets in rural areas,” Yadav pointed out.
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The Union minister also took a swipe at the state government on distribution of PDS items. “The Centre has made specific arrangements provide rice and wheat to the rural people at an affordable price. But the state government has been taking credit by telling the people that the distribution of subsidised rice and wheat among the rural poor is its own programme. We will expose the modus operandi of the Odisha government as our party workers would visit each village in the state and apprise the people of the dirty game the state government has been playing,” he informed.
After reviewing progress in various centrally sponsored schemes in Odisha, Yadav, said, “The Odisha government has failed to meet the 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.”
“The government is misleading the people of the state. The government has constructed only 1.81 lakh houses under Biju Awas Yojna and the rest houses are built from the funding of the Central government,” Yadav added.
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Meanwhile, refuting the charges levelled by Yadav, BJD spokesperson Surya Narayan Patra, said, “The Union ministers do not have any other options except playing the old records whenever they visit to the state. He (Yadav) knows it very well that for assigning projects under centrally sponsored scheme the state government has to float tenders.”
“He is only attempting to defame the state government,” Patra added.
“It is a very unfortunate incident which took place in Bargarh where a group of people attacked and damaged the vehicle of Union Textiles minister Santosh Gangwar. I had never seen such incident anywhere in the country,” Union Drinking Water and Sanitation minister Ram Kripal Yadav told media persons after his arrival at the Biju Patnaik airport here this morning.
Referring to politics in Bihar, he said though the political differences in that state are high, there is no goondaism among the parties. “But the incident which took place in Bargarh is open hooliganism. The Union Home minister has expressed grave concern over the incident. All I can say is that the politics of this kind can be possible only in Odisha, not in any other part of this country. I strongly condemn this incident,” he added.
Asked whether he feels that security should be beefed up for him, Yadav said “I am not concerned over the security provisions. Ram Kripal Yadav is a common man. If he is attacked, the people Odisha will save him”.
In his reaction, Union Petroleum and chemicals minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who accompanied Yadav, said the ruling party (BJD) friends have adopted an undemocratic method of protest. “The people of Odisha always believe in democratic process. Slippers, sticks, stones and using filthy language are utterly undemocratic methods and those who practice these methods have an autocratic mentality. May God give them the wisdom,” he noted.
Yadav said this during his day long visit to this tribal dominated district, where he addressed BJP workers at Umerkote and Raighar.
He said the Centre has as many as 93 welfare schemes, but the BJD government is branding its own label and marketing them in the state.
The Minister asked BJP workers to make people aware of the central schemes.
Yadav alleged that even after 17 years of BJD rule, Nabarangpur district continue to remain backward and the much needed irrigation facilities have not been provided to the people who mostly depend on agriculture for their livelihood.
He also said the poor are deprived of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the district.
Stating that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre is working for villages, villagers and farmers of the country, Yadav called upon party workers to see that the welfare schemes are implemented fully in the district.
During his visit to Beheda, a small village in Umerkote block, the Minister entered the house of one Sabita Harijan, where he was offered a glass of raggi gruel, which he consumed gladly.
Later when he asked about her husband, Sabita told Yadav that he has gone to Andhra Pradesh in search of work as there is no work in the village.
Getting the information, the Union Minister said "MNREGA is not being implemented here as expected," and alleged that the BJD government in Odisha is cheating the innocent people and that the people should review the work of the state government.
"Every gram panchayat gets a direct financial assistance of Rs 422 per head each year for carrying out developmental work.
The chief minister should clarify where the money has been spent," Yadav told a press conference.
Accusing the state government of failing to implement several centrally sponsored schemes in Odisha, Yadav also wanted to know the number of house units constructed under Indira Awas Yojana.
Alleging "gross irregularities" in the implementation of central schemes, Yadav claimed that though the state government was supposed to construct 2.96 lakh houses under IAY, only 21 per cent of the target had been achieved.
"The state government has been misleading the people on the number of houses built under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana (BPGY).
The state should clarify how much money has been allocated for the BPGY and how many houses have been built so far," Yadav said.
The matter should be brought under the purview of investigation," Yadav said alleging that there were "gross irregularities" in implementation of central schemes.
Yadav, who is campaigning for BJP candidates for the panchayat elections, said that people of Odisha are in the mood for a change.
He also criticized the BJD government for not being able to spend MGNREGA funds in a "proper way".
Bhubaneswar: Union minister Ram Kripal Yadav today came down heavily on the Odisha government for not providing him with an adequate security cover as per protocol.
"The state government did not provide me with security as per protocol. This is the first time I saw this kind of a behaviour of a state government towards a Union minister," he told reporters after arriving here on a two-day visit.
Expressing displeasure over the security provided to him, the Union Minister of State for Rural Development said, "Providing security to visiting Union ministers is the responsibility of the state government. But, I fail to understand why security arrangements have not been made for me. Who will be responsible if someone kills me?"
State Home department sources, however, claimed that proper security arrangements could not be made as the government received a fax message about the Union minister's visit only at 2.04 pm.
"We will certainly provide the required security to the Union minister immediately as per protocol. The Union minister's office delayed in informing the state government of his visit," a Home department official said.
Yadav alleged that the state government denied him adequate security as he had "exposed" the administration for "misleading" the people in the sphere of rural development during his previous Odisha tour.
"They are yet to forget my action of exposing the state government," he said.
"Though I have come here to campaign for the panchayat polls, the state has a duty to look after my security," the Union minister added.
BJP sources said Yadav will campaign for the BJP candidates in the state on February 10 and 11.