Claiming that Odisha government's cheap rice scheme has failed to check pangs of hunger in the state, Opposition Congress today sought a clarification from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the latest report of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO).
"About 4 per cent of rural households in West Bengal and Odisha reported that they did not get adequate food everyday during some months in a year," Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh of Congress told the assembly during zero hour.
"Therefore, we demand a clarification from the Chief Minister on the issue of hunger," Singh said alleging that though the Centre sanctioned 35-kg of rice per month per BPL family, the state government distributed only 25-kg of cheap rice to poor families.
Stating that death of Jhintu Bariha of Bolangir, as a classic case of starvation death, the Congress leader said NHRC had already probed the incident.
He said though Nawrangpur district had been identified as the poorest area in the state, the state government was yet to identify the poor left out in that district.
Singh said while the state government had been claiming that 58 lakh of people were being provided with cheap rice, the NSSO found that 14 lakh people remained underfed, 2 lakh people used to migrate to other states in search of jobs and tribals were victims of hunger.
Senior Congress member S S Saluja also joined Singh and demanded a clarification from the state government.
