Naveen Patnaik to be sworn in as Odisha CM for the fifth time on May 29

india

Updated: May 26, 2019 22:46 IST

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal on Sunday invited chief minister Naveen Patnaik to form the government for the fifth time, hours after Patnaik was elected leader of the BJD legislature party.

Patnaik was elected the BJD legislature party leader by the newly elected MLAs at a meeting held at the party headquarters. All the 111 elected legislators, including Naveen Patnaik who won from two seats- Hinjili and Bijepur, attended the meeting. BJD leader from Ganjam district, Bikram Kesari Arukh, proposed Naveen Patnaik’s name as the leader of BJD Legislature Party and it was seconded by other top leaders.

After his election, Patnaik advised the MLAs to work for the benefit of Odisha and its people. “People often ask me what is the secret of the BJD’s continuous success and I always tell them these two points - keep people in focus and work for people. Always remember to lead a simple life. When you are simple, people are close to you. We have to honour the faith, people have on us by sincere and dedicated hard work,” Patnaik told MLAs.

Patnaik will be sworn in at a public ground in the city on May 29. Around 5,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony, a senior party functionary said.

Around 25 lakh farmers of the state will get the first instalment of Rs 5000 Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme after swearing-in of Naveen Patnaik as the CM. Patnaik will disburse the amount to the beneficiaries at a special programme at the state Secretariat.

While 6-7 lakh farmers will receive the financial assistance on April 29 through Direct Benefit Transfer, the rest will get the amount in the next two days. The CM during his election campaign had promised to provide financial assistance to eligible farmers on the first day of the formation of the BJD government in the state.

Around 42 lakh farmers had received the first instalment of financial assistance under the scheme. But the rest of the farmers could not get the assistance as the Model Code of Conduct came into force in the state for the general elections.