Bhubaneswar, Oct 30 (IANS): Even as he continues to be the richest among his cabinet colleagues, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has a loan of Rs.15 lakh on his head.
Patnaik has been ruling the state for the last 15 years.
According to the properties and assets statement of Patnaik for the year 2014-15, the chief minister, who has a deposit of Rs.23.70 lakh in his four accounts in Odisha and New Delhi, took a personal loan of Rs.15 lakh from his sister in the last fiscal.
"Temporary loan of Rs.15 lakh from Geeta Mehta, received vide cheque no 479486 dated 09.03.2015 drawn on Bank of Tokyo - Mitsubishi, UFJ Ltd, New Delhi," said Patnaik's statement.
His movable properties include an Ambassador car of 1980 vintage valued at Rs.17,000, bank deposits of Rs.23.70 lakh and jewellery worth Rs.1.89 lakh.
Patnaik has inherited a farmland from his mother Gyan Patnaik measuring 22.7 acres and a building at Tikrikhera village near Faridabad in Haryana, which is valued at Rs.7.25 crore.
He also inherited property on A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road (formerly Aurangzeb Road) in New Delhi worth Rs.36 crore from his father Biju Patnaik and his two-thirds share from Naveen Nivas in the state capital. It is valued at Rs.5.7 crore, the statement said.
The property statement furnished by Patnaik said he did not acquire any new asset, either movable and immovable, during the last financial year.
The property statements of other ministers showed that Law and Panchayati Raj Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo was the poorest among the ministers with assets of Rs.30 lakh.
Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak has a loan of Rs.17 lakh, Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singhdeo bought gold worth Rs.15 lakh for his younger daughter, said the assets statement of the ministers.
Finance Minister Pradip Amat has total immovable property of Rs.56 lakh and his movable properties include a vehicle worth Rs.10.86 lakh and Rs.5 lakh cash.
Food Supplies Minister Sanjay Das Burma's assets have come down by Rs.1 crore while he has invested Rs.1 crore in a newspaper which is owned by his wife.