BJP to mark ‘Corruption Day’ on Panchayati Raj Diwas in Odisha tomorrow

Bhubaneswar: The BJP has announced to observe Corruption Day across Odisha on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas scheduled to be held in the State as a tribute to former chief minister and freedom fighter Biju Patnaik on his 107th birth anniversary on March 5. The protest, as per official sources, will be held in as many as 314 blocks with BJP members wrapping black cloth on their hands as a symbolic opposition to corruption in the State.

Lashing out at the BJD-led government, BJP State general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said Odisha has become a breeding ground for corruption and nearly Rs 5,000 crore worth irregularities are found every year in the Panchayati Raj system here.

Addressing mediapersons, he said the BJP is posing these questions to the Odisha government:

1.) Who is doing corruption in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)? Why is a new list of beneficiaries  not being made ?

2.)Who is behind irregularities in MGNREGS and job card fraud and where is the money going to?

3.) Where is the money allocated for panchayats by the Centre to the State under Central Finance Commission (CFC) utilised? Why is the government rebranding CFC funds and why is the money used in other sectors?

4.)Around 20 per cent people availing ration cards are ineligible. Who are these people and why is the government not monitoring ghost beneficiaries?

5.) From MLAs to officials at district and block levels, everyone is taking commission under the Panchayati Raj structure. Why has the government stopped palli sabhas?

Raising these concerns, Harichandan said the state of affairs in the PRI structure in Odisha is crying for attention. “The government’s observation of Panchayati Raj Diwas is pure hogwash. While the entire nation celebrates the day on April 24, Odisha is the only state doing it on March 5. The State has become a hub for corruption and the Panchayati Raj system here is only getting politicised and drowned in corruption. Legislators of ruling party are at the helm of PRI affairs and direct democracy, which the system is supposed to embody, has gone for a toss,” he said.