Bhubaneswar, Jan 20: Senior BJP leader and Union Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday came down heavily on the Odisha government over the reported irregularities in junior teacher appointments.

The Union Minister alleged that the Odisha government is playing with the future of Odia students.

Pradhan was speaking at 'Shakti Vandan' workshop, a relationship drive between SHG and NGO organized by the BJP Mahila Morcha at the party's State head office here today.

Pradhan said women in Odisha are being disrespected. Ministers and MLAs are involved in most of women's harassment cases.

He said women are suffering from anemia in Odisha. Newborn babies are undernourished. In Odisha, 19% of children suffer from low birth weight, 31% are malnourished, 18% are underweight as per their height and 64% are anemic.

The media has come with the recruitment of 20,000 teachers in Odisha. After the ASO exam, the rules have been changed. What will the state government, which advocates expertise, and technology, say about the future of children, he wanted to know?

He said while, on the one hand, PM Modi has given guarantees, on the other hand, there is a story of 25 years of deceit, fraud and pretense. The government here needs votes only. It doesn't want to serve people.

The Union Minister said that women's empowerment has been guaranteed by PM Modi. Women have been the biggest beneficiaries of the Modi government. The Prime Minister has put India's Nari Shakti (women's power) at the forefront of the four pillars of the Amrit Stamba for a developed India. Lakhs of our mothers and sisters are benefiting from the welfare schemes of the Modi government, he contended.

Jan Dhan account operning, toilet construction under the Swachh Bharat scheme, PMAY, Ujjwala Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mudra Loan, low-interest loan for SHGs, NaMo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi are reflections of women welfare schemes, said Pradhan.

He hoped that BJP Mahila Morcha activists would make all efforts to ensure Modi guarantees reach one crore households in Odisha.

Stating that a few days left for the consecration of Lord Ramlala at Ayodhya, Pradhan said when the entire country is devoted to Lord Ram, Prime Minister Modi has honoured the mother and sister of Odisha by praising Namita Agrawal's song "Ayodhya Nagari Nache Ramku Pai". He said that this devotional music has brought a new spirit in the minds of all Odias.

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