With less than a year for the Odisha Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha elections, the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) dispensation has approved a new scheme, “Ama Odisha, Nabin Odisha” (our Odisha, new Odisha) worth Rs 4,000 crore.
Under the scheme, the BJD government will allocate funds for protecting places of worship, upgrading sites of historical significance, and improving rural infrastructure and digital access.
The newly-announced initiative seems to be a repackaging of “Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash”, (our village, our development) — a scheme that turned out to be a “game changer” for the BJD after it suffered a setback in the 2017 panchayat polls, which saw an improvement in the tally of the principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The scheme is believed to have helped the BJD retain power for the fifth consecutive term by clinching the 2019 state Assembly elections.
According to BJD sources, the party will use the newly-announced scheme to neutralize the public’s “anti-incumbency” sentiments ahead of the 2024 simultaneous polls. The new scheme refers to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik whereas the earlier BJD government’s schemes were named after his father, Biju Patnaik, until recently. The reference to the CM’s name in this scheme, which is part of the BJD’s new political messaging, showcases the rise of Naveen, who has been at the helm of the state government since March 2000.
Like its erstwhile avatar, the Patnaik government has allocated funds for the current scheme based on suggestions by people from districts through video conferencing. Around 8,000 panchayats will get grants of Rs 50 lakh to take up various projects. Panchayats will be able to sanction individual projects up to Rs 10 lakh per project, including strengthening internet connectivity, developing playgrounds and science parks, training facilities, work hubs, and skill centers for rural entrepreneurs, especially women, and projects to bridge the gap in education infrastructure, providing banking facilities and digital infrastructure at the village level.
The CM’s office has also been reviewing the implementation of projects under the older scheme. Like Ama Gaon Ama Bikash Yojana, the new scheme would enable locals, panchayats representatives, and other stakeholders to recommend projects to the government.
In the last few months, Patnaik’s private secretary VK Pandian has received various development-oriented proposals from citizens as he tours different districts, even as his visits have been questioned by the Opposition parties. Official sources said most of these proposals will be sanctioned under the new “Ama Odisha, Nabin Odisha” scheme.
The decision to grant funds to protect places of worship and sites of historical significance may also be aimed at taking a “soft Hindutva” line to checkmate the BJP in the state, according to some observers.
The Patnaik government has already announced multiple projects worth several thousand crores to beautify popular shrines including Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri, Lord Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar, and the Sun Temple at Konark, and others in different parts of the state.
Criticizing the scheme, former state BJP president, Samir Mohanty, alleged that several projects sanctioned under Ama Gaon Ama Bikash Yojana were yet to be completed and claimed that the government announced a new scheme to “placate” people ahead of next year’s polls.
Congress leader and former Odisha chief secretary, Bijay Patnaik, said the scheme would provide work to “BJD-leaning contractors”.
(With inputs from agencies
