My sister has right to decline Padma Shri — Naveen

New Delhi: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday said his sister Gita Mehta has every right to decline the Padma Shri award.

“My sister has a right to do whatever she desires,” Patnaik told the media here.

Noted writer Gita Mehta, Patnaik’s elder sister, had declined to accept the Padma Shri last week, saying its timing was questionable as the general election was set to take place and the award may cause embarrassment to both the Odisha government and her.

Mehta had been named for the Padma Shri in the ‘Foreigners’ category for her outstanding contribution to the field of art and literature.

The chief minister also rubbished allegations by Congress President Rahul Gandhi that he was remote-controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to his government’s involvement in corruption.

“Bilkul Bakwaas [absolute trash],” responded the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, Naveen reviewed various pending issues with Union government officials at the Odisha Bhavan here.

He said the Centre is yet to transfer Rs64 billion due to the state, with only one month left for the financial year to end.

This includes more than Rs10 billion for housing, Rs3.75 billion for health, Rs4 billion under the rural job scheme and Rs6.5 billion for agriculture, Patnaik said.

While the state government is spending more than Rs30 billion on drinking water from the state budget, the Centre has allocated Rs1.8 billion, of which only Rs800 million has released.

For poverty alleviation, out of Rs2 billion, the state has received only Rs60 million, he said.