Opposition Congress today said the newly-launched Odisha State Youth Policy would have no impact on the electorate and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was trying to fool the people of the state.
The policy was launched by Patnaik yesterday.
"It is too late. The central government has already announced the policy. The state government should have launched this policy two years back had it been serious about development of youths," AICC general secretary in-charge of Odisha Jagdish Tytler said here.
"How can this pre-poll sop attract the youth when primary and secondary education in the state is in disarray with 52,000 teaching posts lying vacant and a large number of children out of school?" he asked.
He alleged the state government has failed to implement 25 per cent reservation for children from the weaker sections in privately-managed schools under the Right to Education Act.
"The pre-poll sops are nothing but a mockery to these children. The chief minister is trying to fool the people of the state," Tytler said.
The AICC general secretary was here to consult the party's block-level leaders of Ganjam and Gajapati districts on probable candidates in the next general elections.
"The party in its Jaipur session had decided to select the candidates in consultation with the ground level workers," Tytler said.
