Naveen govt reaches out to minorities with Rs 45 cr grant

Amid the allegation of Odisha government’s overdrive on temple renovation, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has sanctioned Rs 45 crore for construction of 150 multipurpose cultural-cum-community centres for the people belonging to minority communities.

The amount will be spent for construction of community centres for Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh communities, which have a sizable population in 22 districts. The announcement came after people from minority communities submitted a memorandum to CM’s erstwhile secretary VK Pandian, during the district visit programmes.

According to the 2011 census, Hindus comprise over 93% of Odisha’s total population while the percentage of Muslim and Christian population is 2.17% and 2.77%, respectively.