Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and his Cabinet colleagues made total 76 trips in helicopters to different parts of the state in the last two years, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Niranjan Pujari said.
In response to a question by Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, the Minister said, “The helicopter trips made by the ministers from March, 2021 to February, 2023 and the government spent more than Rs 17.89 crore for this.”
Among the 72 rides, the CM made the highest 32 trips during the period, while Minister Tusharkanti Behera made 11 trips and the late Health Minister Naba Kisore Das took 4 rides before his death in January this year.
Other ministers including Ashok Chandra Panda, Padmini Dian, Padmanabh Behera, Sudam Marndi, Pratap Jena, Samir Ranjan Dash, Ranendra Pratap Swain, Jagannath Saraka and Tukuni Sahu have also travelled in helicopters to various places in Odisha during the aforementioned period.
