Recently, the Government of Odisha has launched a scheme called 'Mo Odisha, Naveen Odisha' under which Rs 50,000 will be sanctioned to each Gram Panchayat and the same will be spent for different purposes at Panchayat level. But the problem is that the guidelines of the scheme empower the Collector or the agency entrusted by the Collector to spend the whole amount on behalf of the GPs while the elected members of PRI are totally ignored for whom the scheme is meant for.
In protest against the system, Keonjhar district Congress held a rally from Congress Bhawan and handed over a memorandum for the Governor through the Collector, Keonjhar to interfere in the matter.
The plea of the Congress is that it is late PM Rajiv Gandhi who had introduced the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) system in India for decentralisation of power and involving the people at grassroots level in the development process. What is happening now is there is an attempt to curtail their power.
Congress will take the matter to every nook and corner of Odisha and start agitation for the implementing the scheme by holding Gram Sabha, warned the members.
Keonjhar Congress president Mohan Parida, secretary Alok Mishra, former president Biplav Mishra and former MLA Hrushikesh Naik were among others present.
