Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government on 8 February presented an ‘Interim Budget’ of Rs 1.18 lakh crore for the first four months of financial year 2024-25 in the State Legislative Assembly.
Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha presented the ‘Vote On Account’ with estimating the total budget outlay for the next financial year at Rs 2.55 lakh crore, which is about 11 percent more than the Annual Budget of 2023-24.
The Interim Budget was presented instead of the Annual Budget in view of upcoming elections to Lok Sabha and State Assembly.
“Keeping in view the requirement of funds for expenditure on payment of salary, pension, interest payment, repayment of principal, relief, old age pension, scholarship of ST & SC students and other on-going scheme and programmes, a sum of Rs 1.18 crore is proposed in the vote on account for seeking approval of this August House to defray the expenses during the first four months of the financial year, that is, from April to July, 2024,” Shri Arukha said.
Of the total Rs 2.55 crore provision, Rs 1,03,500 crore has been allocated for administrative expenditure, Rs 1.40 lakh crore for programme expenditure, Rs 3,900 crore for disaster management and Rs 7,600 crore for transfer to State, he said.
Odisha is on a path of unprecedented transformation and has created history across all areas of development over the last two decades. The New Odisha under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister has not only managed to break-free of the shackles of poverty and backwardness, but has also transformed itself into a role model of citizen centric development and governance, he said.
Stating ‘leaving no one behind’ has been the governance motto of the BJD government for the last 24 years, the minister said, “We are relentlessly working for empowerment of women, youth and vulnerable sections of the society. The 5T Mantra of our government has brought about transformative and paradigmatic change in our approach to governance.”
For centuries, Mahaprabhu Jagannath has been the pivot around which the Odia way of life is centred. To take this legacy forward, Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha (AONO) has been launched, with a view to transform rural Odisha, taking up measures to augment rural infrastructure leading to accelerated growth as well as to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the State. The State Government has earmarked more than Rs.4,000 crore to implement various initiatives under the scheme, he added.
Agriculture was the first occupation of man, and is the foundation of all other industries. Considering that a sizeable percentage of our population depends on agriculture, this budget gives due importance to the needs of the sector with enhanced allocation of Rs 28,944 crore for Agriculture and allied sector which is 16.6 percent higher than the outlay of the previous year.
Odisha Millets Mission is now increasing the production and consumption of millets and is also changing the lives of more than 5 lakh millet farmers, majority of whom are tribal farmers. Mission Shakti has also played a pivotal role in the millet value chain showing the world that millet-based enterprises can play an important role in appealing to taste buds of consumers and improving livelihoods, Arukha said.
Stating Odisha is the 1st State in the country to launch a dedicated web portal for agricultural credit – Simplified Application for Agricultural Loans (SAFAL), he said, the portal consists of 300 plus products of around 40 plus Nationalised and Private Sector Banks in a single window making it a boon for the credit seeking farm entrepreneurs to have a very informative and interactive interface for availing credit.
“Livestock and fisheries sectors play a significant role in enhancing incomes of farmers in Odisha. Our Government has identified these sectors as growth propellers for Odisha’s farmers, women SHGs, and entrepreneurs. We propose to allocate an outlay of Rs.1,938 crore for all round development of these sectors,” he pointed out.
Under “Parvati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation”, 202 projects have been completed so far with creation of 2.56 lakh Ha of ayacut area. In the 2nd phase, 170 new projects have been taken up with an estimated cost of Rs.10,759 crore over a period of 5 years which will provide irrigation to additional 2.63 lakh hectare and a sum of Rs 1,225 crore has been proposed in the Financial Year, 2024-25.
Under Mukhyamantri Disaster Resilient Saline Embankment Project, the State Government has been proposed to strengthen 194 km length of saline embankments with an outlay of Rs.763 crore in the districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Puri. For flood resilient structures along with saline/river embankments, a sum of Rs 1,176 crore has been proposed during 2024-25.
In his Budget Speech, the Finance Minister said, “We have been sensitive to the needs of all vulnerable sections of society and taken steps to provide Social Security Pensions to universalise the “Madhu Babu Pension Yojana.” I propose to allocate Rs 3,980 crore for around 53 lakh beneficiaries under Social Security Pension Schemes.”
The State Government has set an ambitious target for transformation of 1,858 healthcare facilities within a period of five years with an investment of Rs.3,389 crore. An outlay of Rs 1,314 crore has been proposed for the purpose in the budget for 2024-25, he said.
Similarly, an outlay of Rs 5,450 crore has been proposed for the “Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana” (BSKY) scheme in the budget while Rs 529 crore allocated for “Mission Shakti Scooter Yojana” and Rs 1,449 crore for disbursement of scholarship to 14.86 lakh ST, SC and OBC students.
The Government has allocated Rs1,050 crore for the skill development sector and Rs 21,004 crore for construction of logistics like roads, bridges, airports and railways including Rs 1,000 crore for metro rail, which is 25 percent higher than last year, the Minister said.
The Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa (Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor project) is a milestone in the annals of history of Odisha and the world, he added.
“We have also dedicated the SAMALEI Project within a record time. Establishment of new Campus of Odia University at Satyabadi and organization of the 1st World Odia Bhasha Sammilani are important steps in growth of Odia Language, Literature and Culture,” he further said.
The heritage and cultural sites are treasures of the past and also attract tourists and create jobs for the local communities and people. Preservation and protection of these monuments is essential for the future generation. For this purpose, the Government is taking up about 150 projects under the ABADHA scheme to be completed by 2025-26 with a massive investment of Rs.1,400 crore.
