Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik meets Venkaiah Naidu, seeks modification of JNNURM funding

NEW DELHI: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today met Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and sought modification of funding released under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) so as to make the scheme state specific.

"I urged the Minister to modify funding under the ongoing JNNURM to make it state specific. This will ensure equitable distribution of resources and impart freedom to the states for selection of projects," Patnaik told reporters after his meeting with Naidu.

The Chief Minister urged Naidu to also modify the criteria of additional central assistance linked to reforms and make it 10 per cent for projects under urban infrastructure governance and urban infrastructure development scheme for small and medium towns.

After the meeting, Naidu told reporters that the issues raised by the Chief Minister regarding his state will be addressed at the "earliest".

On the issue of modification of guidelines, he said the matter needs to be discussed in details as it concerns change in policies.

During his meeting with Naidu, Patnaik also sought release of the first instalment of additional central assistance amounting to one-third of Rs 460 crore for undertaking bus rapid transit system in Bhubaneswar.

The Chief Minister was also slated to meet Railway Minister Sadanand Gowda to put forth the state's demand ahead of the Railway Budget, but it was cancelled owing to the demise of Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde.