Irani targets Rahul for remarks on hospital for Odisha
Bhubaneswar, June 26: Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday targeted Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the issue of setting up a multi-specialty hospital in Odisha.
"Congress party's claim that they are for development is ironical. The Congress President even failed to ensure health services for the voters and citizens of Amethi (the constituency of Gandhi)," Irani told reporters here.
Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that he had failed to keep his promise of establishing a multi-specialty hospital in Rourkela.
He said Muktikant Biswal, a resident of Muktikanta, walked 1,350 km to Delhi to remind the Prime Minister of his poll promise.
Underlining that the Central government had announced the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the last budget, she hoped that the Odisha government would respond to the health needs of the people of the state and diligently ensure that the health scheme was implemented at the grassroots.
The Union Minister said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would achieve its mission of securing more than 120 seats in the Odisha Assembly elections.
She said the overwhelming support of the people of the state would help the party achieve its goal.
"There are indicators of failure in health, education and law and order in Odisha. On the other hand, there is good governance by the BJP in other states. The BJP will achieve its goal due to these indications of failure," she added.
National BJP President Amit Shah has set a target to secure 120+ seats in the 147-member Odisha Assembly in the 2019 elections.
Irani also criticised the Congress party for imposing Emergency, which she termed a "Black Day" in the history of Indian democracy.
She also remembered the contributions of intellectuals, freedom fighters and leaders from Odisha in safeguarding democracy during the 1975 Emergency.
"After 43 years of Emergency, people should remember it and it should be a day of pledge so that history is not repeated," said Irani.
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Karnataka fast-tracks investment approvals, cuts red tape across key clearances: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said the state government has fast-tracked approvals for investment projects and taken measures to cut red tape.
He said that since 2022, Karnataka has approved 2,028 projects worth Rs 5.11 lakh crore, which could create 7.16 lakh jobs.
Of these, Rs 69,564 crore has already been realised, generating 1.06 lakh jobs, he added.
“Karnataka fast-tracks approvals, cuts red tape,” the Minister for Large & Medium Industries said.
“Clear results of our government’s push to speed up approval processes are now evident. Not only have investment agreements been secured, but effective implementation is also underway,” he said in a post on X.
He added that simplified and swift approval processes are boosting investor confidence and providing greater impetus to industrial growth across the state.
“Karnataka’s investment-friendly environment is further strengthened by its culture of ease of doing business,” he said.
Noting that Karnataka is fast-tracking approvals and aligning departments and districts for on-ground delivery, the minister said: “We have overhauled 18 key approvals, cutting land use change clearance time from 120 to 45 days, fire NOC from 60 to 21 days, factory plan approvals from 30 to 14 days, and electrical approvals to just 10 days.”
In a competitive landscape, Karnataka is acting decisively to ensure faster decisions, fewer delays, and a truly pro-industry ecosystem, he added.
