The BJP government in Odisha unveiled its inaugural budget on Thursday, proposing an expansive Rs 2.65 lakh crore expenditure for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Emphasising agriculture and women's empowerment, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented a budget that is approximately 15 per cent larger than the previous year's estimate of Rs 2.30 lakh crore.
Majhi, who also serves as the state’s finance minister, introduced modifications and new names for several well-known schemes. Among these were the KALIA scheme, ‘Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana’ (BSKY), and ‘Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana’ (BPGY).
Agriculture and women empowerment
A significant portion of the budget, Rs 33,919 crore, has been earmarked for agriculture, marking a 36 per cent increase from the prior year’s allocation. This move underlines the government’s commitment to bolstering the agricultural sector, a backbone of the state's economy.
In line with the BJP's election promises, the budget allocates Rs 10,000 crore to the ‘Subhadra’ scheme, a financial assistance program designed to empower women.
Additionally, Rs 5,000 crore has been proposed for the “Samrudha Krushak Yojana” to support farmers.
A new initiative, ‘CM Kisan,’ with an allocation of Rs 1,935 crore, has also been announced to provide additional financial aid to farmers.
Budget breakdown
Of the total budget, program expenditure stands at Rs 1.55 lakh crore, administrative expenditure at Rs 97,725 crore, and Rs 3,900 crore has been set aside for Disaster Risk Management Funds.
The budget was crafted with input from over 12,000 stakeholders, making it a “people’s budget,” according to Majhi.
Renaming schemes
Majhi has rechristened several existing schemes to align with the central government's initiatives. The KALIA scheme is now the 'CM-KISAN' program, modelled after the PM-KISAN scheme, providing financial assistance to about 1 crore farmers in Odisha.
The 'Biju Setu Yojana' has been renamed 'Setu Bandhan Yojana,' 'Make in Odisha' to 'Utkarsh Utkal,' and 'Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha' to 'Vikasit Gaon Vikasit Odisha.'
The BJP government has also decided to implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in conjunction with the state’s Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana (GJAY), ensuring cashless healthcare services across government and private health facilities for all eligible families.
An outlay of Rs 500 crore has been proposed for the AB PM-JAY, with Rs 3,056 crore allocated for the state sector scheme.
Opposition's reaction
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik criticized the budget, describing it as a "double disappointment" for the people of Odisha.
He accused the BJP government of merely renaming more than 40 schemes from the previous BJD administration without introducing substantial new initiatives.
Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati echoed similar sentiments, stating that the budget offers nothing new for farmers and women. He contended that the BJP government had simply increased the budget size by 10 to 20 per cent and rebranded existing schemes.
Infrastructure and development
The budget also places significant emphasis on infrastructure development. Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated for the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project, Rs 918 crore for a new city development program, and Rs 200 crore for a land bank scheme.
Furthermore, Rs 600 crore has been earmarked for railway projects, and Rs 6,180 crore for road development initiatives.
The chief minister underscored the importance of promoting Shree Jagannath Culture and Odia ‘Asmita’ (pride), with a corpus fund of Rs 500 crore for the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and Rs 200 crore for Odia Asmita.
An additional Rs 72 crore has been allocated for the 'Mukhya Mantri Kalakara Sahayata Yojana,' and Rs 15 crore for the conservation and protection of monuments.
Majhi highlighted that the state’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is expected to grow at a rate of 8 per cent, with the goal of achieving a 'Viksit Odisha' in the coming years.
He also highlighted the government’s alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principles of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas,” reinforcing the BJP’s economic policies at the state level.
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