BJP creates ruckus in Odisha Assembly over BPGY logo

Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJP on Wednesday created ruckus in the Odisha Assembly, seeking a statement from the State government over the Centre's communication to the administration to not co-brand Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin houses with the logo of Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. The issue was raised in the assembly by Leader of Opposition P K Naik of the BJP as soon as the House assembled for the Question Hour. The saffron party members rushed to the well, demanding a statement on the issue, while Congress MLAs expressed displeasure over the hike in the power tariff. "We have been raising objections on the State government's act of co-branding the PMAY with the Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, but it has been doing so for long now," Naik said.

He also said that while the picture of Biju Patnaik is prominently depicted in the logo, the State government writes PMAY-G in small letters. Naik said the administration wants to gain political mileage out of this and give false assurance to the people that houses were being provided by the BJD government. "Now, after the Centre's instruction, we demand the government announce on the floor of the House that there will be no co-branding of the PMAY-G," he said.

Amid the pandemonium, Speaker S N Patro adjourned the proceedings for one hour. Union Rural Development Department Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha, in a letter to Odisha Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra on March 30, had made it clear that the PMAY cannot be co-branded with the BPGY, in spite of the State government having 40 per cent share in the scheme. "I wish to reiterate that the scheme PMAY-G has been approved by the Union Cabinet as a centrally-sponsored scheme. It is to be implemented in its original form...," Sinha said. He added that the use of a State-scheme logo is not permissible under the provisions of the PMAY-G. "I would, therefore, once again request you to use the official logo only."