Bhubaneswar, Jan 25: Barely within a fortnight of amending the Odisha Offices of Profit Act, 1961, the Odisha govenrment on Monday appointed nine ruling party MLAs as the chairpersons of the District Planning Committees (DPC).
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved names of the MLAs who would head district planning committees. “The chairpersons of the DCPs will get the status of Minister of State (MoS),” an official at the Chief Minister’s Office said.
While Lanjigarh MLA Balabhadra Majhi has been appointed as the Kalahandi district planning committee, Bhatli MLA is the chairperson of Deogarh district.
Parjang MLA Nursingha Charan Sahu is appointed as chairperson of Dhenkanal district. Other law-makers who have been appointed as DCPs are: Balikuda-Ersama MLA Prasant Kumar Mudili (Jagatsinghpur), Berhampur MLA Ramesh Chandra Choupatnaik (Ganjam), Patana MLA Hrushikesh Naik (Keonjhar), Nabarangpur MLA Manohar Randharao (Nabarangpur), Jaydev MLA Sashi Bhusan Behera (Khurda) and Pallahara MLA Mahesh Sahu (Angul).
The State cabinet on January 16 had approved a proposal to amend the Odisha Offices of Profit (removal of disqualification) Act, 1961, which paves the way for MLAs to head district planning committees (DPCs).
Though the state government in the last Assembly session passed the Odisha District Planning Committees (amendment) Bill, 2015, which has provisions for the MLAs to head the DPC, it could not be implemented due to some technical difficulties. At present, the DPCs are being headed by ministers only.
The amendment to the Odisha Offices of Profit (removal of disqualification) Act, 1961, has removed the provision of disqualification of MLAs on the ground of office of profit.
District Planning Committees have been constituted and reconstituted as per the provisions of the Orissa District Planning Committees (ODPC) Act.and Orissa District Planning Committees (ODPC) Rules, at the district level for formulation of District Plans.
