Governor SC Jamir on Monday virtually joined the State Government in indicting the Union Government on the issue of neglect in release of calamity relief and rehabilitation assistance for the Phailin and flood-affected districts as he commended the State Government for its efficient handling such natural disasters of high magnitudes.
“The State Government had requested Rs 1,590 crore from the NDRF to carry out rehabilitation and reconstruction works after Phailin,” he said, adding, “The national Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has sanctioned Rs 915 crore for Odisha to deal with the natural disasters such as floods and cyclones from NDRF.”
Dr Jamir was addressing the first session of the calendar year 2014 which is the last one of the 14th Assembly in his first address to the House. He was all praise for the State Government’s performances in various sectors. Odisha’s annual growth rate would be around 9 per cent by the end of the 12th Plan period, he said.
However, the Governor addressed the House amidst protests from the main opposition Congress, whose members staged a walkout besides leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh delivering a parallel speech highlighting the BJD Government’s “all-round failures” and various scams. The Governor, in his address, said Odisha has achieved the highest reduction in poverty by 24.6 per cent among all States.