Bhubaneswar: Former Chief Minister and Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik has slammed the BJP government’s supplementary budget, saying it falls short of expectations and is pushing the state towards fiscal austerity.
The budget, tabled by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday, allocates ₹17,440 crore for the financial year 2025-26, focusing on farmers’ welfare, women and child development, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors.
In his X handle, Patnaik stated that the budget lacks major infrastructure projects and a clear vision, and instead prioritises concealing declining central grants and revenue shortfalls. He criticised the allocation of ₹900 crore for the Public Works Department, saying it’s insufficient and mainly focuses on urban areas.
“The BJP government’s supplementary budget presented in the Assembly is dashing the hopes of many Odia residents. In the first full year of the new BJP government, there is no sign of any major infrastructure project or new vision that was expected. This is pushing us towards fiscal austerity. Administrative expenses are being curtailed. Odisha’s debt burden is increasing. The budget allocates Rs 900 crore for the Public Works Department, and barring a few urban area infrastructure initiatives, there is nothing else. It seems this supplementary budget is a ploy to conceal the declining central grants and revenue shortfalls. Not for the welfare of the state’s residents, this is an additional effort to mislead the people of the state”, read the post of Patnaik.
