Why Odisha government is on a renaming spree

(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated October 28, 2024)
In a state where Naveen Patnaik and his Biju Janata Dal seem to have left an enduring legacy following their 24-year rule, the new Mohan Charan Majhi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government seems determined to overturn it and leave its own stamp on the public face of policy. It began early in that endeavour, barely a month after taking over the reins. And part of the playbook involves renaming schemes and changing their colours.
To begin with, the Majhi government is in the process of gradually phasing out the previous government’s flagship Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) and replacing it with the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana (GJAY), which will be a hybrid version of BSKY and the Union government’s PM-Jan Arogya Yojana. In fact, after the new government tab­led its first budget in July, former CM and leader of the OppositionPatn­aik observed that at least 40 old schemes had been renamed. Even the mid-day meal scheme will now be known by its national name, PM Poshan Yojana. However, it was the renaming of the Biju Patnaik Sports Award as Odisha Rajya Krida Samman that met resistance, leading to a U-turn.
Former BJD MLA Latika Pradhan believes the new regime has “borrowed from us as they know that our schemes were good and kept us in power for so many years. But they not only lack vision, they are also consciously trying to erase the legacy of the great sons of Odisha such as Biju Patnaik, by renaming schemes named after them.”
The government is on a colour-changing spree too, with orange replacing green, the thematic hue of the BJD regime. Government buildings, Class IX and X uniforms, affordable LAccMI buses, road signs, wall ads and even milk packets are all getting a saffron wash.
“It is untrue that we have only changed the names and colours of the schemes. Our government has made several modifications to them to give better service to the people,” says party spokesperson Anil Biswal. “Why are they not talking about the three brand-new schemes we have launched in 100 days?” He was referring to the Subhadra scheme that provides Rs 50,000 to eligible women over five years, raising the minimum support price for farmers by Rs 800, and the provision of an extended social security monthly pension of Rs 3,500 to the 80-plus senior citizens. However, the BJD criticised the Subhadra scheme, reminding the saffron camp of its poll promise of disbursing the money over two years.
Some welfare schemes, government sources claim, will have new features. For instance, while the benefits of the BSKY were available in 16 states outside Odisha, GJAY will cover more states and offer more benefits. However, the nitty-gritty has yet to be finalised before the state signs an MoU with the Centre.
The rebranding exercise comes at a high cost. BSKY’s rechristening is estimated to cost over Rs 500 crore; all other such exercises will amount to at least Rs 1,000 crore. Multiple services have also been tempora­rily withheld for the schemes’ redesign.
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