Pradeep Pattanayak

Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari on Friday presented a full-fledged budget of Rs 2,30,000 crore for the financial year 2023-24 in the Assembly, with highest allocation of Rs 38,437 crore for SC/ST Development followed by Rs 30,030 crore for Education and Skill Development and Rs 24,829 crore for Agriculture sector. 

The government has also made sufficient allocations towards its flagship yojanas. For Mukhyamantri Swasthya Seva Mission, Rs 3,003 has been allocated, followed by Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (Rs 2,380 crore), National Health Mission (Rs 1,911 crore), the KALIA Yojana (Rs 1,879 crore), NIRMALYA Yojana (Rs 513 crore), Millet Mission (Rs 497 crore) and Cancer Care Centre (Rs 211 crore). 

On the other hand, while Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jayanarayan Mishra termed the budget as a means to garner votes, Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati termed the budget as a rosy picture.  

“The school education in the state is in a shamble. No development is being noticed in the health sector. This budget is in no way beneficial to the common people of the state. They (the BJD) have an idea of garnering votes by distributing something in their mind and the budget is its reflection. Nothing has been done for the state’s progress, the development of its infrastructure and the growth of per capita income,” observed Mishra. 

“The people of the state will never accept this rosy picture presented by the state government. Keeping the election in view, they (the BJD) have prepared this. But it will yield them no desired result. It is nothing but a rosy picture,” said Bahinipati.

 

(Reported by Harihar Chand, OTV) 
 

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