Finance
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented a supplementary budget of Rs 12,156 crore for the current fiscal year 2024-25 in the Odisha assembly during the opening day of the winter session.
The government has set up Rs 125 crore to organise the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which will take place in Bhubaneswar in January of next year.
Similarly, Rs 299 crores have been set up in the current fiscal year for the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in the state.
The government has allocated Rs 1056 crore for the state’s participation in the National Health Mission (NHM) initiative. The government has allocated an additional amount of Rs 644 crore for the implementation of Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana, the main healthcare scheme of the state government.
The state government has also allocated Rs 1750 crore to the scheme of Special Central Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure. The plan aims to increase capital investment by states.
The supplementary budget includes an additional Rs 1196 crore for the Subhadra Yojana, a social plan that aims to empower women through financial support.
The state government has earmarked Rs 130 crore to build a Centre of Excellence in 22 ITIs across the state in cooperation with Tata Technologies Limited. Similarly, the state government has allocated Rs.300 crore in the supplementary budget for loans to public sector units through the state Energy Department.
The state government has also granted Rs 196 crores for transfer to Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) as per the State Finance Commission (SFC) award in the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure, 2024-25.
Meanwhile, the Madhubabu Pension Yojana receives Rs 338 crore from the extra budget presented in the state assembly on Tuesday.
The government also earmarked Rs 51 crore for installing CCTV surveillance systems in police stations and outposts. It is worth noting that the state administration has faced harsh criticism for the lack of CCTV cameras at numerous police stations following the alleged assault on an army officer and his fiancée at Bharatpur police station in Bhubaneswar.
The state government has allocated Rs 120 crore to Disaster Risk Mitigation in the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure, 2024-25, for the modernization and expansion of Fire Services.
The state administration claimed that the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure, 2024-25, is FRBM compliant since it includes a provision for resource backup in the form of either an adjustment against savings/surrender or additional revenue.
“The capital outlay for fiscal year 2024-25 will exceed 6% of GSDP, including the Supplementary provision. This would serve to stimulate economic growth while also allowing the state to carry out various developmental and welfare projects,” the state administration said in the supplementary budget.
