The Union Government has slashed the sanctioned drought assistance from Rs815 crore to Rs601 crore recently.
According to sources, the Union Home Ministry has conveyed this to the State Government through an official communiqué recently.
“The Centre has not given a single rupee to Odisha for drought. But it has cut down the sanctioned amount by Rs 214 crore,” said BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb to reporters here on Tuesday.
Deb said the State Government would write to the Centre soon demanding payment full amount of the sanctioned amount. Reacting to cut in the sanctioned amount, Congress leader Ganeswar Behera said the Centre should not deprive Odisha its rights of assistance. “The Centre should give adequate assistance as Odisha has suffered a lot due to drought,” he said.