Bhubaneswar: The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday took a dig at the state government, alleging that its claims of high industrial development in Odisha are completely contrary to the situation on the ground.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, upon returning from the two-day investors’ meet and roadshow in Hyderabad, on Monday, expressed satisfaction over the outcome of the mega event, noting that in the event, the state government received proposals worth Rs 66,781 crore, with the potential to generate employment for around 56,430 people.
The party in a press release alleged that while the BJP-led state government has been boasting about attracting huge investment for industrial development in Odisha by organising various kinds of events across the country and abroad, wasting crores of rupees from the state exchequer. The party, however, claimed that the reality on the ground tells a completely different story.
BJD Spokesperson and Media Coordinator Lenin Mohanty stated, “Although the BJP state Government claims a lot about industrialisation, the JSW Group’s EV battery project worth Rs 40,000 crore has already been shifted to Maharashtra, and the ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel project worth Rs 1 lakh crore has been shifted from Kendrapara to Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, the SRam-NRam semiconductor project and the Waaree Solar project have also left Odisha.”
Accusing the state government of misleading people over industrialisation, He further added that the Double-Engine Government had come to power with the slogan of “Double Development”, but Central assistance has gone down by 18.19 per cent, while the GSDP growth rate has fallen from 9.6 per cent to 7.2 per cent.
The industrial growth rate has declined from 8.7 per cent to 6.1 per cent. On the other hand, the unemployment rate in the State has increased to 3.9 per cent, yet the State Government continues to sell false dreams to the people.
Mohanty alleged that the BJP has dismantled the pro-investment ecosystem built under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, by discontinuing key industrial programmes and failing to implement investment proposals worth Rs 16 lakh crore received during the previous government.
The BJD spokesperson also warned that if the government attempts to plunder Odisha’s mineral-rich wealth in the name of industrialisation, the Biju Janata Dal will strongly oppose it.
(IANS)
