Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik announces to forgo salary and allowances hike for LoP

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], December 13 (ANI): Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday announced that he will forgo the salary and allowances recently increased for the Leader of the Opposition, as passed by the Odisha Legislative Assembly.
Patnaik stated that he is doing this in the spirit of donating his ancestral property, 'Anand Bhawan' in Cuttack, for the welfare of the people.
In a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, which Patnaik posted on X, he expressed his gratitude to the people of Odisha for their love and support over the past 25 years.
Patnaik said, "I have been blessed by the love, affection and support of the people of Odisha for the past more than 25 years. I am highly indebted to the people of Odisha and their love towards me and my late father, Biju Patnaik."
"You may kindly be aware that in the year 2015 our family decided to donate its ancestral property 'Anand Bhawan' in Cuttack to be put for use by the people of Odisha. In the same spirit, I would like to forgo the salary and allowances hiked for Leader of Opposition which the Odisha Legislative Assembly has recently passed," he added.

He requested that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi utilise the funds for the welfare of the state's poor.
The current Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Odisha Legislative Assembly is Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) party. He assumed office on June 19, 2024, for the 17th Assembly after his party formed the main opposition following the 2024 elections.
Naveen Patnaik previously served as the Chief Minister of Odisha for over 24 years before his party was voted out of power in the 2024 elections.
Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi underlined the state government's push to promote sustainable tourism on Friday with the inauguration of the Odisha Watermanship and Lifeguard Institute at Ramachandi beach in Puri and the launch of Eco Retreat Parks across key locations in the state.
"The tourism sector of the Odisha government inaugurated Eco Retreat Parks on the coastline of the Bay of Bengal and in the Konark area. These will run for three months. We have started such retreats today at different places in Odisha, somewhere on the banks of the river, somewhere at the foot of the hill," Majhi said, highlighting the state's effort to combine tourism development with environmental sensitivity.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi said Odisha is rapidly emerging as a major renewable energy hub. He highlighted the implementation of the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme, under which rooftop solar connectivity has been provided to millions of households nationwide. For Odisha, Joshi announced a Utility Led Aggregation (ULA) model for 1.5 lakh rooftop solar systems, expected to benefit 7-8 lakh people.
Rajasthan Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar, who attended the summit, said the two-day event provided a strong platform to discuss future energy needs and added that Rajasthan and Odisha would sign a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in the sector.
According to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India has added a record 31.25 GW of non-fossil capacity in the current financial year, including 24.28 GW of solar power, reflecting the country's accelerating clean energy momentum. (ANI)