Bhubaneswar: A political controversy erupted in Odisha on Friday over the alleged delay by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) in lifting custom-milled rice from the state, with the opposition BJD claiming that the issue has exposed the Centre’s alleged neglect of Odisha.
The BJD’s attack came a day after Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Krushna Chandra Patra expressed concern over the slow pace of rice lifting by the FCI and said the state government could face difficulties in undertaking fresh paddy procurement unless the existing stocks were cleared.
Addressing a Civil Supplies Department function on Thursday, Patra said the FCI was not lifting rice in accordance with the targets fixed for it. He said he had repeatedly taken up the matter with the Union minister and other authorities but the situation had not improved.
Patra said the state government’s ability to undertake fresh procurement was being affected as large quantities of rice remained stored in godowns. He added that he would once again lead a high-level delegation to Delhi to seek faster lifting of the stocks.
According to the minister, the state government had paid around Rs 30,000 crore to farmers for paddy procurement during the previous procurement cycle.
The BJD seized on Patra’s remarks to target the BJP governments at the Centre and in Odisha. Party vice-presidents Sanjay Das Burma and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak alleged that around 18 lakh metric tonnes of rice were lying in the state because of the delay in lifting.
Das Burma said the minister’s admission had strengthened the BJD’s allegation that Odisha was facing neglect at the hands of the Centre. The opposition leaders questioned how the state could proceed with fresh paddy procurement if the existing rice stocks were not lifted.
They urged Patra to raise the issue during the forthcoming Assembly session and pursue the matter with the Centre on an urgent basis. The BJD also warned of street protests if the problem was not resolved soon.
Congress leader Santosh Singh Saluja also criticised the state government, alleging that the Supplies Minister was attempting to shift responsibility to the Centre.
Saluja said the BJP’s “double-engine” government had failed to resolve the issue and questioned how fresh paddy procurement could be carried out if the FCI did not lift the rice. He said the state minister should be held accountable for the situation.
