Bhubaneswar: The Odisha chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, raised the issues of MSP, Mahanadi,Polavaram and Special Category State Status to Odisha in the 12-Standing Committee metting of the Inter-State Council chaired by union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Saturday.
Patnaik said that he urged the Council to increase the MSP for paddy from Rs 1470 per quintal to Rs 2930 crore as the present price would not be able to help farmers to double thier income. He also said that urgent action needed to be initiated to stop the construction of dams and barrages across the river Mahanadi by the Chhattisgarh government. Pointing out the Mahanadi downstream in Odisha remains dry most part of the year due to blockage of water by the neighbouring state, he urged that the Inter-State River Dispute Tribunal be constituted urgenly.
Raising the Polavaram issue, Patnaik said that Andhra Pradesh government be restrained from going ahead with the project. The project is going to submerge large part of Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
The chief minister also demanded Central funding to the state as per the Special Category Status States. ” The Central funding to Himalyan states and North-Eastern States be extended to Odisha, he said.
The chief ministers of Chhattishgarh and Andhra Pradesh besides, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh also attended the Council meeting.
