By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Orissa government will aim to achieve higher economic growth and reduce poverty in the state, Governor M.C. Bhandare said here Monday.
Addressing the inaugural session of the newly-elected state assembly, Bhandare said: “The decisive mandate given to my government in the last election is an affirmation of the programmes on the basis of which the election was contested.
“The basic thrust of the programmes was to strive persistently for the development of the state economy and transform Orissa into one of the most prosperous states in the country,” Bhandare said.
“My government is keen to promote sustainable and inclusive higher economic growth and faster poverty reduction,” he added.
Bhandare also highlighted various programmes the government has undertaken for the overall development of the state.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has 103 seats in the 147 member assembly leaving the opposition, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with merely 27 and six seats, respectively.
The ruling BJD has more than two-thirds majority but the session may become stormy with opposition parties planning to grill the government on issues like deteriorating law and order situation and the state’s failure to check the increasing Maoist menace.
The budget session would be in two phases and likely to end July 29. The first phase will continue till June 19 and the second phase will begin from July 7.
The state Finance Minister Prafulla Ghadai is expected to present a deficit state budget for 2009-2010 June 11.