The first time MP and a long-time self-help group leader Pramila Bisoyi, who can only speak in Odia, has got her presence felt as she spoke up on development and healthcare facilities in the state in a brazen manner after taking the oath on Monday. The 70-year-old grassroots worker, who was fielded in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections by state party Biju Janta Dal, said in an interview with Odisha TV, “The healthcare facility in Aska is in a shambles. We are getting no medical facilities. There are no doctors and for tests, we have to go to Berhampur. I will first work towards improving the Aska hospital.”
Bisoyi has been a leader of her SHG for several years now and has worked in the areas of women empowerment and environmental protection. Her SHG includes over a lakh women. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had said about her that it would be personally “heartening” for him to see Pramila enter the parliament. On the other hand, Patnaik’s Hinjili Assembly constituency from where he has been successively elected in past five elections comes under the Aska Parliamentary constituency in Ganjam district. This is being seen as a bold step on the part of Bisoyi to criticise Aska constituency which encompasses CM’s assembly constituency.
She further added that Odisha falls at a much lower level in terms of development in comparison with other states but she wants to begin her work with attending to healthcare needs of her constituency. Other than this, she also wants to improve on women empowerment standards of Aska. She also said she has bigger responsibilities now as an MP and would raise many issues in the Parliament for the betterment of Odisha.
Since her victory as an MP, Bisoyi hasn’t wasted any time before she started with her work. Earlier than this on June 9, she wrote a letter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urging to expedite search operation for Indian Air Force (IAF) transport aircraft An-32 and trace Odia pilot Sunit Mohanty.
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“The healthcare facility in Aska is in shambles. We get no medical facilities. There are no doctors and for tests, we have to go to Berhampur. I will first work towards improving the Aska hospital.”
“Sunit belongs to my Parliamentary constituency. His parents are under tremendous stress since the incident was reported. It is very painful to see their plight. I request you to expedite the search operation for IAF An-32 aircraft and bring back Mohanty along with other members,” the letter read, TNIE reported.
Flight Lieutenant Mohanty is a native of Baliapalli village under Kabisuryanagar block of Ganjam district in Aska Lok Sabha constituency. He was among 13 crew and passengers onboard the aircraft that went missing in Arunachal Pradesh on June 3.