Bhubaneswar, March 2 (IANS) Ahead of elections to the Sambalpur municipal corporation in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday urged the Centre to set up the proposed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Sambalpur under relaxed guidelines.
In a letter to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Zubin Irani, Patnaik said: "If central government is willing to relax this guideline for site selection, then the state government strongly recommends Sambalpur in western Odisha as the location of IIM, Odisha."
Earlier, the state government following the HRD ministry's guidelines, had recommended setting up the proposed IIM in Bhubaneswar.
"I would like to inform you that while recommending the sites for IIM, the state government was constrained by the fact that the location should be close to an airport as per guidelines circulated by the HRD ministry," said the chief minister.
He said the guidelines restricted the government's choice to places in and around Bhubaneswar.
In a separate letter to Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Patnaik urged the setting up of two new Passport Seva Kendras (PSK) at Sambalpur and Berhampur.
Stating that the only PSK in Odisha, located at Bhubaneswar, serves 30 geographically dispersed districts, he said the citizens of western and southern districts experience immense difficulties in obtaining passports.
In 2014, about one lakh passports were issued by the PSK.
However, the Opposition Congress and BJP smelt politics in the government move.
"The central government had asked them to identify three places to set up an IIM in Odisha. But it identified two places in Bhubaneswar, ignoring the demand of Sambalpur. As Sambalpur will go to polls soon, there is a political intention behind the letter of the CM," said BJP spokesperson Suresh Pujari.
Congress leader Pradip Majhi said Naveen Patnaik has embarked on election campaigning for Sambalpur.
Recently, Naveen Patnaik announced Rs.1,600 crore for various development projects in Sambalpur and also laid the foundation stones of various projects.
Sri Lanka's crisis: Heavy devastation due to landslides in the country facing economic crisis, more than 600 families in trouble
Sri Lanka, which is facing the biggest economic crisis to date, has also had to face the sky disaster. The Disaster Management Center (DMC) of Sri Lanka said that more than 600 families have been
Of 'Shab Deg', home-reared roosters and grandma's magic (Foodie Trail-Srinagar)
Srinagar, March 25 (IANS) Hardly anyone among the younger generation of Kashmiris would know what is a 'Shab Deg' and yet the mere mention of the word triggers nostalgia and tickles the taste buds
Saif Ali Khan Attack Case: Saif's attacker was identified in jail, these people associated with the actor were present
A new update has come out regarding the attack on actor Saif Ali Khan. According to the information, the accused has been identified in jail. Some people associated with Saif were called to the jail
Biden ready to meet Putin conditionally: Said- Russia should not attack Ukraine; US alert - Americans should be ready to leave Moscow, risk of attack
US President Joe Biden has agreed to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to avert the Ukraine crisis. However, before the meeting, Biden wants Putin to promise not to attack Ukraine. If all
SL vs AFG: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 132 runs in the second ODI, record biggest win, series 1-1
Man of the match Dhananjay de Silva (29 not out and 3/39) produced an all-round performance as Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 132 runs in the second ODI here on Sunday. This is Sri Lanka's biggest win
Ayodhya rape case: Akhilesh adamant on the demand for DNA test, Awadhesh Prasad said- the accused should be given death penalty
Akhilesh Yadav is adamant on the demand for DNA tests in the Ayodhya rape case. At the same time, Faizabad (Ayodhya) MP Awadhesh Prasad also called the incident shameful and said that the accused
Indian High Commissioner stopped from entering Gurudwara, then his car surrounded; Acts of Khalistani supporters in Scotland
India-Canada Row: After the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, tension between Canada and India is increasing. Its effect is now visible in Glasgow, Scotland.
PM Modi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now 'Bhaijaan', where and why did Syed Shahnawaz Hussain give him this nickname?
Former Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain lashed out at Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He said that Nitish Kumar had dreamed of becoming the Prime Minister in the India Alliance, and after that, he also
Sri Lankan President thanked India: Wickremesinghe said - Prime Minister Modi saved us, India was with us in difficult times
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has thanked India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their support in difficult times. Ranil said- Our country is passing through the most difficult time in
India-Sri Lanka series will be able to see in the stadium: spectators will not be seen in the first T20 in Lucknow; 50% of fans will get entry during both the matches in Dharamsala
The first match of the home T20 series against Sri Lanka will be played in the stadium without the presence of spectators. This match is to be played on February 24 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana
