TNI Bureau: In a strategic move to counter the BJP when it comes to tribal votes, the BJD Government in Odisha has decided to bring 14 more districts in the State under the ambit of Special Development Council (SDC), raising the number to 23. SDC is meant for the development of tribals.
According to sources, the announcement is likely to be made by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik at a grand event at the Adivasi Ground in Bhubaneswar on May 14.
Only Khordha, Puri, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Sonepur won’t be included into the SDC.
The new districts, which will be brought under the SDC, include Balasore, Sambalpur, Balangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal, Angul, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Bargarh, Deogarh, Boudh and Ganjam.
Currently, 9 tribal-dominated districts – Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Sundargarh and Kandhamal come under the Special Development Council. Senior BJD leader and former Lok Sabha MP Pradeep Majhi is the Advisor of the SDC.
The ruling BJD is leaving no stones unturned to woo the tribal voters present in each district with this move. A lot of developmental and cultural activities are being planned for the tribals over the next 6-8 months in these 23 SDC districts.