Bhubaneswar: Opposition Congress in Orissa on Saturday moved a privilege motion in state Assembly against revenue and disaster management minister SN Patro, accusing
him of misleading the House by saying that the Centre did not
give any financial aid to the state for last year`s drought
and unseasonal rain.
Following the submission of the privilege notice by
Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan, Speaker Pradip Kumar
Amat said he would examine it.
While replying to an adjournment debate, Patro had told
the house on March 24 that the Centre had not given a single
paise to the state while it sanctioned Rs 400 crore for Andhra
Pradesh and Rs 600 crore for Maharastra.
The minister futher said the state government from its
own resources had disbursed Rs 105 crore for giving assistance
to the farmers, hit by unseasonal rain.
The minister, however, corrected his statement on the
floor of the Assembly yesterday through a statement which said
the state`s special relief commissioner got information
regarding the Centre`s sanction order at 5.46 pm on March 24.
Outside the Assembly, Patro clarified that the state
government was not aware about the Centre`s sanction order of
Rs 560 crore towards drought and unseasonal rain in the state,
when he was replying to the adjournment motion.
Serving the notice, Harichandan said as he had received a
fax message regarding the Centre`s sanction order at 2.10 pm
on March 24, it was wrong on part of the minister to say he
received information at 5.46 pm the same day.
Submitting relating documents, Harichandan said being a
senior minister Patro must be aware about the sanction order,
recommendations and release of funds.
Claiming that the government had received the sanction
order on February 26, Congress chief whip said Patro was
misleading the house deliberately.
Harichandan also alleged the minister had insulted the
federal system of democracy by saying that he had no faith in
the central government.
Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress
raised the issue in the zero hour and wanted explanation why
Patro mislead the House about the central fund.
"It is unfortunate that a senior minister misled the
House," Singh said. His party colleague SS Saluja supported
the privilege motion.
Though some of the ruling BJD members tried to defend
Patro, the Speaker did not allow further discussion on the
subject as the matter was being examined by him.
PTI
