The BJP on Friday alleged that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his team have gone to Japan to spend a ‘vacation’ on the pretext of different engagements.
Is it justified to spend the hard-earned money of people on such vacations, questioned party State spokesperson Satyabrata Panda in a Press meet here.
After the visit to Italy and the UAE, the Chief Minister and bureaucrats have gone on a tour to Japan. What is the meaning of a seven-day tour for a work of five hours they had, he asked.
Panda said the then Union Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradha had visited Japan on October 25, 2019 and held a discussion with the Nippon Steel authorities regarding investment in Odisha. Subsequently, the Odisha Government under the initiative by Pradhan held another round of discussion with the company in that connection on February 27, 2020.
The State Government should clarify whether the Nippon Steel’s announcement to set up a steel plant with a production capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) is an old or new one.
Besides, the State Government should clarify why the Arcelor Mittal withdrew from an earlier MoU that had been signed with the State Government to set up a steel plant with an investment of Rs 50,000 crore.
“Nippon Steel will use the raw material from Keonjhar mines at the steel plant in Kendrapada. So why such injustice to Keonjhar,” questioned Panda further.