BJD chief Patnaik condemns Centre's policies of LPG price rise, rice quota cut

BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday slammed the BJP-led central government for raising the price of LPG and slashing the quota of five kg of free rice to beneficiaries.

These decisions are "anti-women", claimed Patnaik, who had been supporting the schemes and policies of the Narendra Modi government for a long time.

"Hike of the LPG price and deduction of 5 kg rice by the Centre are clearly anti-women policies. I strongly condemn such policies," Patnaik said while addressing a BJD function marking the observance of International Women's Day.

Earlier, the ruling party had staged a demonstration opposing the stoppage of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) under which the poor people covered under the PDS were provided with 5 kg of free rice to counter the adverse impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The BJD government was demanding continuance of the PMGKAY as the impact of the pandemic still hits the poor people who lost jobs and employment.

The BJD had also been opposing the price rise of LPG which has been raised by Rs 50 per 14 kg of cooking gas last month. The price of one cylinder of gas is now Rs 1130.

Patnaik claimed that his government continued to provide all the facilities given to the people under different schemes in Odisha.

Asserting that Odisha pioneered in women empowerment, he said his father Biju Patnaik had made provision of 33 per cent reservation for women in the three-tier panchayat institutions in the 1990s which has been increased to 50 per cent by the BJD government.

The BJD in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had fielded 33 per cent of women candidates for the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Five of the seven women candidates of the party won the elections.

"The women now are a major part of the decision-making process," the chief minister said.