Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Odisha is no longer a BIMARU state (acronym for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, referring to their poor economic indices), said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today after unveiling a special booklet titled '80-years of Odisha Budget- A Commemorative Volume'.

According to the booklet, Odisha's annual budget was only Rs 1.77 crore for the year 1936-37 which has now increased to Rs 1,20,028 crore in 2018-19.

"This compilation is an effort to present the journey of Odisha in these 80 years through facts, figures and pictorial representation. Odisha is the first state in the country to bring out such a compilation," Patnaik said.

The compilation will be useful for scholars, researches and policy makers, he said.

"Budget is a mirror of the policies of the government. The 80 budgets presented since 1936 portray the commitment of the government to take the state on the path of development. Over the years, Odisha budget has showed innovation to achieve the broader objective of development and welfare for the people of the state," Patnaik added.

The chief minister said the state government has come up with a separate agricultural budget in 2016 with focused attention on the agricultural sector. Over the years, the state has made significant strides in educational, health and infrastructural sector, he said.

Eighty years is a long time and phenomenal journey for the state. "We have achieved milestones during this period," Patnaik said.

"When Odisha became a state in 1936, the budget was only Rs 1.77 crore. When we took over the government in year 2000, the budget had only been Rs 14,000 crore. Today, the budget is Rs 1, 20, 000 crore," he said.

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