PM slams Patnaik for no to Modicare

Talcher/Jharsuguda (Odisha), September 22

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday slammed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for rejecting the Centre’s flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme for the poor and alleged that a “PC” (percentage commission) culture has become the state government’s identity.

Addressing two public meetings in Talcher and Jharsuguda, Modi said Odisha lagged on Swachh Bharat campaign parameters and Patnaik should improve the level of cleanliness in the coastal state.

“Everyone is aware of the importance of Ayushman Bharat scheme, but Naveen babu does not understand. The Odisha Government should come forward and join the programme,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister is set to launch the programme countrywide from Jharkhand on Sunday. The scheme aims to provide Rs 5 lakh health insurance coverage per family annually to more than 10 crore poor households.

The Odisha government has not joined the central scheme, saying it has introduced a better programme, Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana, in the state.

At the public meeting in Talcher after commencing work for the Rs 13,000-crore coal gasification-based fertiliser plant, the Prime Minister said the Odisha Government lagged on Swachh Bharat campaign parameters.

At the second public meeting in Jharsuguda after inaugurating a new airport named after freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai, Modi claimed people were denied benefits of the central government’s welfare programmes — such as construction of toilets and in the irrigation sector — if they don’t pay bribe under the BJD rule in the state.

Janjgir (Chhattisgarh):  Meanwhile in poll-bound Chhattisgarh, Modi targeted the Congress over corruption and for ignoring farmers’ interest, as he kicked off BJP’s election campaign by asking people to elect a stable government in the state.

He stressed that the BJP-ruled state has shown that development is possible with a stable government.

Addressing a farmers rally here, Modi said the only objective of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh was the welfare of the poor and the common people.

Modi also laid foundation stones of developmental projects worth over Rs 3,000 crore including Rs 1,607 crore Bilaspur-Pathrapali four-lane road and Rs 1,697 crore Bilaspur-Anuppur third railway line. — PTI

Corruption allegations on my state ‘baseless’ 

• Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik dismissed the Prime Minister’s allegations about corruption in the state government, saying Narendra Modi must have said this to enthuse BJP workers.
• Patnaik said the Centre should rather think about the scams in the skill mission and Ujjwala schemes. "In fact, they should be thinking about their skill mission scam and Ujjwala scheme scam,” the CM said on the Ayushman Bharat scheme