By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, March 26, 2015 :

The Odisha State Planning Board (SPB), a statutory body that prepares policy guidelines for short-term annual and long-term five-year plans, has never met since 2007.

This was startling fact was revealed in reply to a query by BJP member Dillip Ray in the state Assembly.

Admitting the lapse, state planning and coordination minister Usha Devi said there was a proposal to reorganise the Planning Board to make it more active and efficient.

The last meeting of the SPB was held on October 15, 2007. However, it failed to transact much business.

In a statement issued to the press in the evening, Mr Ray said chief minister Naveen Patnaik, who is the chairperson of the Board, had never cared to convene the meeting of the body.

“A lot of public money is being spent on SPB. One does not see any justification in continuation of the body when it has not contributed to the planning and framing of policy guidelines for various development programmes,” Mr Ray contended.

The BJP lawmaker said although Justice S.K. Mohanty Commission in 2008 recommended for a full-fledged secretariat, permanent member and secretary for smooth conduct of the SPB, the BJD government was sitting over it.

“This laxity proves that the state government is no way interested for development of Odisha,” Mr Ray observed.