The Congress on Tuesday hit out at the BJD Government for its alleged failures in the agriculture sector and said it has pushed the State to many years’ back for its misrule, corruption and inefficiency.
“The State Government is giving false data to cover up its failures. The Agriculture Department has painted a rosy picture too,” alleged OPCC spokesperson Sulochana Das at a Press conference here.
She criticised Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for celebrating completion of three years in office in his fourth term stating that the State’s dependence on other States for vegetables, potato, fish and eggs to meet daily needs show the real development effected during his 17 years of rule.
She said lack of cold storages has compounded woes of the farmers while the Potato Mission is in a limbo.
“Many farmers have committed suicide due to crop failure and debt burden. The Government’s claim of creating irrigation potential for four lakh hectares is totally untrue as only one lakh hacteres irrigated during the last three years,” she said adding that the drought assistance was yet to reach the affected farmers.
She slammed the Government for delaying amendment to the Odisha land Reforms Act. She further alleged that the Government had failed to prepare any contingency plan when the possibility of drought was predicted in the State in 2015.