By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, December 20, 2015 : Odisha government could not spend Rs 46,108 crore earmarked for various State, Central and Centrally sponsored schemes between 2006-07 and 2014-15, the planning and coordination minister Usha Devi said in the just concluded Assembly.

Replying to a question by Rourkel MLA, Dilip Ray, the minister said out of the Rs 13,649.84 crore budgetary allocation for centrally sponsored schemes between 2006-07 and 2014-15, Rs 3122.32 crore remained unspent.

Though the State Government had allocated Rs 8,065.64 crore for the Central schemes out of which only Rs 4,488.46 crore was spent during the period leaving aside a huge chunk of Rs 3,577.28 crore that remained unutilised.

Besides, even though the government had allotted Rs 146,887.88 crore in the past nine years for planned expenditure in state plans, a whopping Rs 39,408.63 crore remained unspent.

The opposition parties took a jibe on the government. “The Chief Minister only knows how to complain. The Central Governments had been giving and continue to give. This is an incompetent government. Their inability to spend the money proves their incompetence. They don’t even have a policy framework,” said Congress Chief Whip Tara Prasad Bahinipati.

“I believe the BJD Government demands more money for the sake of it. They don’t have any intention of spending it for the people. There are plenty of examples wherein money that came through various schemes went back without being spent. It is a matter of great concern that the government was not able to spend a whopping Rs 46,108 Crore,” said Senior BJP leader Suresh Pujari.

The ruling party spokesperson, however, tried to put up a brave face and attempted to defend a losing case.

“We are having trouble to spend the money because we are not receiving the grants, assistance and the money for various schemes from the Central Government on time. Further, they are not making schemes tailor made for our requirement,” said BJD Spokesperson Amar Satapathy.