Telegraph: Naveen calls for IIT cause

Naveen calls for IIT cause

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Bhubaneswar, May 15: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today reiterated his demand of an IIT in the state, even as Biju Yuva Janata Dal members staged a dharna before the Raj Bhavan here. The party was protesting the Centre’s decision to not set up an IIT here but in Andhra Pradesh. Naveen, who met Union HRD minister Arjun Singh at New Delhi today, reiterated his demand. “Orissa does not have a single institution of national excellence and the demand for IIT is a long-standing one,” he said while justifying the demand. Today, activists of BJD’s youth wing staged a dharna before the Raj Bhavan over the IIT issue. President of the youth wing, Ratha Das said successive governments at the Centre have treated the state unfairly. “An IIT would do a world of good to Orissa,” he fumes. Meanwhile, at New Delhi the chief minister urged the HRD minister to bring up Orissa’s demand during the 11th Five Year Plan period. Relying to the CM’s request, Singh assured that the demands put forth, particularly in regard to a new IIT, would be considered while finalising the proposals for the 11th plan. During discussion, the chief minister also put forth demands for establishment of a central university in the backward KBK region and an Indian Institute of Management at Orissa. Last week, Naveen had also written to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, protesting the Centre’s decision to set up three new IITs in other states, while ignoring Orissa’s claim. During the day, the chief minister also met with the Union coal minister, Dasari Narayan Rao, and urged for expeditious allocation of coal blocks on a priority basis to five public sector undertakings.

Telegraph : BJD youth wing to launch a state-wide protest

Youths of BJD picks up fight

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Bhubaneswar, May 14: A day after the Opposition resolved to protest against the state’s BJD-BJP government, the youth wing of the BJD today announced to launch a state-wide stir to protest against the UPA’s apathy towards Orissa’s issues. Talking to reporters here today, BJD general secretary and the state’s energy and IT minister Surya Narayan Patro alleged that the UPA government has been harsh towards Orissa. He lamented that the Union HRD minister’s decision to establish three IITs in Orissa, Bihar and Rajasthan, was subsequently changed, “denying” Orissa its rightful claim. He further pointed out to the decision taken by the Centre to not to pursue the plan of an off-campus of Kharagpur, IIT, denying a better future to Orissa yet again. Several mass organisations have already launched agitation against the Congress-led UPA government and staged demonstrations before the Parliament over the IIT issue. Apparently in a bid to seize the opportunity to launch a tirade against the Congress, the ruling regional outfit has decided to raise the bogey of central neglect, political observers believe. Citing other instances of “central neglect” and “step-motherly treatment”, Patro said the Centre had provided a meagre Rs 60 crore to Orissa under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutkaran Yojana, as against the Rs 300 crore to Uttar Pradesh. Their decision to exclude sparsely-populated regions from the scheme would affect the tribal and backward regions of the states, he rued.