It has appointed joint secretary officers as prabharis of these districts.
The Niti Aayog had called a meeting of collectors of these districts in New Delhi on January 4 and 5. Odisha skipped the meet and has been opposing the Centre’s move.
Here are the reasons spelled out by chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in a letter to Niti Aayog chief executive officer Amitabh Kant:
1) In the process of identifying the eight backward districts, no formal structured consultation was made with Odisha
2. No special central assistance is available for backward districts.
On the contrary, the NDA II government discontinued special plan for KBK, Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) and Integrated Action Plan for districts affected by Left-wing extremism.
3. The concept of prabhari officers is against federal structure enshrined in the Constitution.
4. Signing MoU with Niti Aayog has also constitutional ramifications. It has to be discussed in the Inter-State Council.
5. Identifying some districts as backward unilaterally will affect collective social psyche of the people of the area.
Odisha.in
Pic: Twitter @NITIAayog