Orissa to reduce BPL population by seven per cent

Bhubaneswar, Mar 18 (UNI) Below Poverty Line (BPL) population in Orissa will be reduced to 40 per cent from 47 per cent by the end of 2006, State Agriculture Minister Surendra Nath Naiak announced in the state assembly today.

Replying to the debate on the demand of grants relating to the Planning and Coordination Department, Mr Naik said the BPL population was reduced from 55.6 per cent in 1987-88 to 48.6 per cent in 1993-94.

But by the end of 1999-2000 the same has marginally reduced to 47.2 per cent, he said adding that the state government expected the BPL population to come down to below 40 per cent.

Mr Naik said the state government had set a target to achieve the growth rate of 6.2 per cent by the end of the tenth plan period as against the growth rate of 5.7 per cent achieved during the last three years. The Centre after persuasion had agreed to provide financial assistance to complete all the ongoing irrigation projects in the state and the government had plan to irrigate at least 35 per cent in each block and fifty per cent of the total cultivable areas in the state, he said.

The Minister claimed that the government had registered a tremendous success in utilising 88 per cent of funds earmarked for the development of KBK region under the centrally sponsored Long Term Action Plan(LTAP). The state, he said, had so far received Rs.1153 crore under the scheme and spent nearly Rs.1056 crore.

Mr Naik said the government would soon introduce a special package programme for extensive irrigation programmes to combat the drought prone areas. To begin with Padampur block, considered to be the worst drought affected would be taken up as a model block for the project.

On the demands of the members, the Minister assured that the headquarters for the Western Orissa Development Council(WODC) would be set up in western Orissa and the council would be made a full fledged one by the end of March 2006.

He said the headquarters for the KBK region had already started functioning from Koraput and soon it would be strengthened to make a full fledged office for the KBK areas.

Responding to the demands from the members to enhance the MLA LAD fund from the existing Rs.50 lakhs to Rs.1 crore, Mr Naik said the government was contemplating to enhance the MLA LAD fund and soon it would be announced after necessary provision in the next supplementary budget.

The members irrespective of party affiliation, demanded that the MLA LAD fund should be either hiked to Rs.75 lakh or Rs 1 crore and urged the government to announce it in the house.

Congress member Jayadev Jena alleged that the state government had been indulging in looting the mineral resources and demanded that a new mining policy be announced soon to check the largescale exploitation of the mineral resources of the state.

UNI DP PC MA RN2216