Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (IANS): Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik on Monday said that the double engine government is going in reverse gear on development in the state.
While sharing his reactions to the annual state Budget presented in the Assembly on Monday, Patnaik told media persons that the state government has failed to spend the money allocated in the previous budget.
“A large sum of money from the last budget has still not been spent. Industrial growth is going down so are the finances of the state. It seems the double-engine government is going in reverse gear. The prices of essential commodities are affecting everyone. The suicide of farmers continue, women are not getting works in Mission Shakti, unemployment is spiralling,” said Patnaik.
He further noted that the announcement of a large sum of money in the budget is not important. The LoP stated that the state government should instead focus on the expenditure of the sum allocated in the budget for the development of Odisha.
“The budget is a betrayal of the trust of the people of Odisha. This is full of political propaganda. Last year the government couldn’t spend around Rs 60000 crore of his plans so there is no point in announcing any big schemes as it has no intention to spend, said BJD MLA Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo.
The Congress party also criticised the state budget calling the announcements made in the budget as ‘daydreams’. The party alleged that the state budget hinges on loans. The budget will only increase the loan burden on the state.
Speaking to media persons, Congress leader Ashok Kumar Das said that the party can’t trust the budget announcements till the government succeeds in implementing those properly.
He further alleged that sufficient allocations have not been made for the development of youths, the education department in the budget.
Notably, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday tabled the first full-fledged budget of the BJP government with an outlay of Rs 2.90 lakh crore for 2025-26.