Odisha Agriculture Minister slams Centre for sending Central team to take stock of pest menace

Bhubaneswar: BJD vice-president and Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Damodar Rout on Sunday came down heavily on the Central Government for sending a Central team to take stock of the pest-inflicted damages in the State.

Rout said the Union Agriculture Minister’s statement is not based on facts. Agriculture is a State subject. In case of any natural calamity, the States seeks the Central Government to help. But the Centre by sending a team on its own is unnecessarily meddling in the State affairs.

He said the State Government is aware of its Constitutional duties and is taking all measures for the benefit of farmers of the State. But the Centre is not providing assistance and, instead, it is trying to run a parallel Government. This is unconstitutional.

This is a dangerous trend for democracy and the Federal structure of the country, Rout said. It has become a regular practice on the part of the Central Ministers to criticise the State Government without factual information, he added.

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