Do what you have done for Karnataka for us too, be non-partisan: Odisha MPs to Centre on PM Awas Yojana

BJD MPs on Thursday accused the Centre of meting out a “step-motherly treatment” to Odisha by not allowing the addition of 6.65 lakh houses for tribals under Prime Minister Awas Yojana for the past three years while allowing BJP-ruled Karnataka to add 25 lakh houses under the scheme last month.

The issue was raised by BJD MP Sasmit Patra during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha and supported by other party lawmakers Amar Patnaik and Sujeet Kumar.

Patra said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has written at least three letters in the past but the Centre has not opened the Awas portal to the state and allow addition of 6.65 lakh houses for tribals in southern and western Odisha and eight KBK districts.

“The Awas portal has not opened for Odisha for the past three years. It is sad that on January 13, the government opened it for Karnataka to add 25 lakh houses. Even after three years, Odisha is not able to add 6.65 lakh houses,” he said, demanding that the Centre immediately allow Odisha to add the houses.

Separately during the discussion on Motion of Thanks to the President's speech, Patra once again referred to the issue. "This window (housing portal) opens for whom? This window opens for those states whom the central government loves more. This window opened on January 13 this year. This window did not open for Odisha. It opened for Karnataka," he said.

He said it was good that the window opened for 25 lakh families of Karnataka but "what crime have six lakh tribal brothers and sisters (in Odisha) committed for whom the window is not opening since the last three years".

Kumar “strongly urged” the government to show “non-partisan attitude” and “what they have done for Karnataka, similar steps should be done for Odisha also and the Awas portal should be opened”.

Emphasising that he and his party colleagues have raised the issue in the House for the past two-and-half years, Patnaik opposed the “step-motherly” treatment meted out to Odisha while allowing Karnataka to add houses under the scheme.

He pointed out that the tribal population in Odisha is 9.20 per cent, only behind Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, as per the Census 2011.

“It is these people who are affected by the denial of addition of 6.65 lakh houses to the Awas portal,” he said.

Patnaik also highlighted a study by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy which said that the satisfaction level of the houses built by Odisha is the highest in the country. He said the level of construction is the best in the country.

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