Bhubaneswar: The Rajya Sabha MPs of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will strongly raise the demand for Special Category Status for Odisha in the upcoming budget session of the Parliament.
Unemployment, price rise, Polavaram issues, coal royalty are some other topics to be raised the MPs in the sessions.
BJD President Naveen Patnaik instructed the party MPs on Tuesday Parliamentary Party meeting at Naveen Niwas in Bhubaneswar.
He urged party MPs to fight for the rights and dignity of the 4.5 crore people of Odisha.
The BJD President also urged his party’s MPs to raise concerns about pressing issues affecting the state. They were asked to address the growing concerns about rising prices, inflation, and unemployment, which have severely impacted the middle class and the poor.
Patnaik demanded that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers be doubled, as per the Swaminathan Commission Report, to support farmers’ incomes. He specifically called for an MSP of Rs.4,600 per quintal of paddy, aligning with the Centre’s promise to double farmers’ incomes.
The MPs were also instructed to advocate for improved infrastructure, including better National Highways, establishment of full-fledged AIIMS hospitals in Sambalpur, Koraput, and Balasore, and ensuring railway connectivity to all districts of Odisha.
Additionally, the MPs were urged to push for the inclusion of 139 proposals in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list of Odisha, withdrawal of GST on Kendu Leaves, and full mobile and digital connectivity coverage across all gram panchayats in the state. They were also asked to raise concerns about environmental damage caused by mining activities and demand a “Green Tax” to compensate Odisha for the harm caused.
