 "Odisha govt presents Rs 2.65 trn budget for FY25, renames several schemes")
The BJP government in Odisha presented its maiden budget on Thursday with a total estimate of Rs 2.65 trillion for the 2024-25 fiscal, laying emphasis on agriculture and women empowerment.
The size of the budget for the current financial year was around 15 per cent more than the budgetary estimate of Rs 2.30 trillion for the 2023-24 fiscal, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said in the assembly.
Majhi, who also holds the finance portfolio, modified and renamed several popular schemes like KALIA, 'Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana' (BSKY) and 'Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana' (BPGY).
He proposed an outlay of Rs 33,919 crore for agriculture, which is about 36 per cent more than the allocation made in the previous year.
Of the total budget estimates, programme expenditure was pegged at Rs 1.55 trillion, administrative expenditure at Rs 97,725 crore and an outlay of Rs 3,900 crore for Disaster Risk Management Funds, he said.
To ensure the speedy empowerment of women, as promised by the BJP in its election manifesto, Majhi allocated Rs 10,000 crore for the 'Subhadra' scheme, a financial assistance programme for women.
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The chief minister proposed a Rs 5,000 crore allocation for the Samrudha Krushak Yojana for farmers. He also announced a new scheme CM Kisan' for farmers with an outlay of Rs 1,935 crore in the state budget.
The government has taken suggestions from various stakeholders before preparing the document, Majhi said, adding that it is a people's budget".
"As many as 12,000 people were consulted in the last few days to prepare the annual budget," he said.
Apart from agriculture, the chief minister said the focus was on the industries, health, education and service sectors. Development for farmers, women, youth, and poor people has been "prioritised", and the government would fulfil the aspirations of the people.
He said the objective of the BJP government was to ensure an inclusive development of the state.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said, It is a double engine government (BJP in power at the Centre and the state), but it is a double disappointment for the people of Odisha."
He was referring to the Union budget and the Odisha government's budget.
Patnaik said he noticed that more than 40 schemes of the previous BJD government have been just renamed by the present dispensation.
Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati said there is "nothing new" in this budget.
There is nothing in the budget for the development of farmers and women. The BJP government has just enhanced the earlier budget size by 10 to 20 per cent, Bahinipati said.
The government just "changed names of several schemes of the previous dispensation", he said.
The state government rechristened the KALIA scheme as 'CM-KISAN' programme in line with the Centre's PM-KISAN scheme.
Under these two schemes, financial assistance will be provided to around 10 million farmers from Odisha.
The government renamed 'Biju Setu Yojana' as 'Setu Bandhan Yojana', while Make in Odisha' was changed to 'Utkarsh Utkal', 'Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha' to 'Vikasit Gaon Vikasit Odisha'.
Majhi said, As promised in our election manifesto, our government has decided to implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) in convergence with the state's own health assurance scheme Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana (GJAY) to provide cashless healthcare in government and private health facilities to all eligible families.
In place of the BSKY scheme, the BJP government has brought the Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana. One beneficiary can avail benefit from one scheme only, he said.
Under AB-PMJAY, the state will be able to avail funds from the central government in the ratio of 60:40, reducing burden on the state budget, Majhi said.
People of Odisha, including those living outside the state, will have access to cashless treatment at over 27,000 empanelled government and private hospitals across the country, especially providing huge relief to the migrant labourers/workers, he said.
An outlay of Rs 500 crore has been proposed for the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana while Rs 3,056 crore earmarked for the state sector scheme in the budget.
The chief minister hailed the BJP's economic policies, and said the state budget has been prepared on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's principles of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas.
Noting that the state's GSDP is expected to grow at the rate of 8 per cent, Majhi said the aim is to ensure a 'Viksit Odisha' in the next few years.
Asserting that Lord Jagannath is the identity of Odisha, he said major allocations have been proposed for the promotion of Shree Jagannath Culture and Odia Asmita' (pride).
A corpus fund of Rs 500 crore has been created for Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), he said.
Similarly, a corpus fund of Rs 200 crore has been made for Odia Asmita, Majhi said, adding that the 'Mukhya Mantri Kalakara Sahayata Yojana' has been provided with an outlay of Rs 72 crore and Rs 15 crore proposed for the conservation and protection of monuments.
Referring to strengthening the urban transport system, Majhi allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail project. Similarly, Rs 918 crore has been proposed for a new city development programme, while Rs 200 crore for a land bank scheme.
The chief minister allocated Rs 600 crore for the development of railway projects in the state and another Rs 6,180 crore for road development initiatives.