Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister of Railways, Communications & Electronics, and Information Technology, said today that there is no scarcity of cash for the Bargarh-to-Nuapada-via-Padampur railway line project, while campaigning for BJP candidate Pradip Purohit in the December 5 by-election.
“The project was delayed because the state government failed to grant land for the intended railway route. If they can allocate the land tomorrow, we have no difficulty starting the project the following day, said the Railway Minister at two public rallies in Padampur and Paikamal in support of the BJP candidate.
The Minister of the Railways asserted that BJP nominee Purohit has been battling for the development of the Padampur Assembly constituency for several days. According to him, Purohit also works for the welfare of Padampur’s farmers and Kendu leaf pickers.
“If Purohit is elected in the by-election, he may exert pressure on the state government to give land for the railway project,” said the Railway Minister.
Addressing the public meetings in support of Purohit, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar criticised the state administration for delay in the settlement of insurance claims of farmers for crop losses in the Kharif season of 2021.
“State governments are empowered to choose insurance providers under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. They establish contracts with insurance companies and offer crop loss reports. Farmers in India have received their insurance payments without incident. However, the payment of insurance money has been delayed in Odisha due to the state government’s anti-farmer actions,” Tomar stated.
The Union Minister asserted that Bargarh farmers frequently encounter difficulties selling their paddy to the state government’s procurement centres. “They are selling their produce to private merchants for pennies on the dollar.” The state administration has defrauded the farmers of Bargarh,” Tomar charged.
The Union Minister urged the electorate of the constituency to elect Purohit in the by-election. “Purohit is a leader among farmers. He has been advocating for the farmers for several days,” he stated.
At the public gatherings were BJP Odisha unit president Samir Mohanty, Odisha Assembly Opposition Leader Jay Narayan Mishra, MPs Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, and Sangita Singh Deo, and MLAs Mukesh Mahaling, Nauri Nayak, and Kusum Tete.
