BJD manifesto vows power tariff waiver, interest-free loans
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday announced that his government would provide free electricity to each household consuming up to 100 units every month, if his Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is voted back to power in the state, as he released the ruling party’s poll manifesto, which focused primarily on four major groups — the middle class, youth, women and farmers.
Odisha will go to simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in four phases on May 13, 20, 25 and June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.
In the last 24 years, the BJD government has transformed Odisha from a poor, hungerprone, backward state plagued by natural calamities to a modern, growth-oriented, cultureand identity-based state, Patnaik said after releasing the manifesto at Naveen Niwas.
“With the grace of Lord Jagannath and the blessings of the public, the guarantees presented in this manifesto will be implemented through 5T governance model. We will try will make Odisha the No 1 state in growth and development in all sectors by 2034,” Patnaik, the longest-serving chief minister of Odisha seeking a sixth straight term in the top office, added.
Besides free electricity for all households consuming up to 100 units of power a month and a discount of 50 units for those consuming up to 150 units, the BJD manifesto promised to include the middle class under the state government’s flagship health assurance scheme, give interest subvention on home loans up to ₹20 lakh, and exempt interests on crop loans up to ₹1.5 lakh and loans for self-help groups up to ₹15 lakh.
A separate budget of ₹1 lakh crore will be kept for the youth of Odisha for 10 years, it said. Under the Nabin Odisha Magic Card scheme, college students will be offered a scholarship of ₹14,000 a year for female and ₹12,000 per annum for male. It also promised 200,000 government jobs over next five years.
The manifesto promised investments in new economies, including semiconductors, IT industries and artificial intelligence, besides mineral-based industries. It also vowed to set up a new University of Technology and Entrepreneurship, State Institute of Fashion Technology and AI University in Odisha.
The BJD also announced to extend the state’s flagship universal health coverage scheme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, to the middle class and government employees as well. “Odisha can become the lowest spending state for health care in the next 10 years,” the manifesto said.
“The BJD food security cards will be provided to all eligible families on merit basis, ensuring inclusion of all families,” it said.
For empowerment of tribals, OBCs and minorities, ₹1 lakh grant will be extended to 10,000 youngsters from these groups. To promote and preserve rich culture and language of tribals, a corpus of ₹1,000 crore will be set aside as a heritage development fund to preserve places of worship, heritage sites and places associated with important personalities.
The BJD, which is aiming to return to power in Odisha and maintain its dominance in terms of the number of Lok Sabha members from the eastern state, is facing a stiff challenge from its former ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is hoping to end Patnaik’s hold in the state.