ONI Bureau: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik presented several demands before the 15th Finance Commission in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.
Naveen sought a special package of Rs 1,500 crore to build more cyclone shelters and improve disaster warning system in Odisha.
The Chief Minister further demanded special category status for Odisha which will supplement Govt’s efforts in transforming the State.
The CM stated that the State has been neglected in several aspects including Industrial corridor, coal royalty, Drinking water and Irrigation and cutting off funds for Scheduled Areas and KBK.
“We have submitted a detailed memorandum to the Commission. I am hopeful that the Commission will incorporate all our suggestions and aid in the rapid progress of Odisha,” Patnaik added.
The Chief Minister suggested the Commission to increase tax devolution from 42% to 50%, making cess and surcharges as part of divisible pool, use of 1971 population as devolution criteria, extension of GST compensation for another ten years and clean energy cess to be spent in coal mining areas.
While speaking at the meeting with Chairman of 15th Finance Commission the Chief Minister also discussed about glimpse of Odisha’s transformation since 2000.
The CM said that the economy of Odisha is on a path of steady growth. Against all odds, the State has registered reasonable growth performance in recent years with annual growth of about 10% in 2016-17 and above 6.5% in 2017-2018.
Odisha is the only State to have doubled farmers’ incomes in the last one decade and won KRISHI KARMAN Award five times in last seven years.
The state is the leading State in Rural Housing completing a record 20 lakh houses since 2014. Odisha is successful in creating “Skilled in Odisha” as a global brand.
About 5 lakh girls are in our educational hostels and we provide the highest number of scholarships. Our Mission Shakti movement, with 70 lakh women is transforming the socio-economic landscape of Odisha.
The state has its own State Food Security Scheme that ensures every deserving family is covered. Our health initiative Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana provides near universal health coverage.
We lead the country in providing land rights to the Forest Dwellers.
Since 2014 we have created additional irrigation potential of 8 lakh hectares and we will surpass our bold target of 10 lakh hectares by April 2019.
Bhubaneswar topped the Smart City challenge and Odisha has emerged as the Sports Capital of India, Naveen said.
The 15th Finance Commission led by its chairman Nand Kishore Singh arrived in Bhubaneswar on a five-day visit to Odisha on Monday.
The Commission’s visit to Odisha began with a meeting between the Commission, and the representatives of the Panchayat special categoryi Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the Urban Local Bodies(ULBs) yesterday.