Bhubaneswar: Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress Tuesday described the Union Budget for 2024-25 as “anti-Odisha” claiming that the Centre has ignored genuine concerns of the state.
The ruling BJP, on the other hand, termed the Budget proposals as “growth-oriented” and it would help generate employment.
BJD vice-president and MLA Prasanna Acharya alleged that the Centre has ignored Odisha’s genuine concerns by announcing that Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh will be completed.
It is suspected that the Polavaram irrigation project will inundate a large chunk of land in the tribal-dominated Malkangiri district of Odisha.
“The decision is discriminatory. It shows the government’s bias towards Andhra Pradesh since the state is being ruled by a key ally of BJP. The BJP depends on it for the numbers in Parliament,” Acharya said, referring to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Stating that BJD president Naveen Patnaik had consistently been raising the Polavaram issue with the Centre, Acharya said adding that the project is likely to submerge eight villages in Odisha.
“This is not a good sign for democracy as the government is putting politics over the nation,” he added.
Senior BJP leader and Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida welcomed the provisions of the Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Parida said the announcements made by Sitharaman will play a significant role not only in boosting Odisha’s tourism but also in the state’s economic growth.
“I thank the Finance Minister and the Centre for the announcements made for Odisha to further promote and develop this sector. We want to make Odisha one of the top three states in the country, and the tourism sector is already contributing towards this,” she said.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the budget is growth-oriented and it will provide employment, education, skilling, MSME and middle-class have been focused upon in this budget.
BJD MPs in Rajya Sabha Tuesday staged a walk out from the Upper House when the Union Budget was being laid while strongly protesting the “neglect towards the state”.
“The BJD MPs strongly said in the House that they are walking out due to the denial of Special Category State status to Odisha. While Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar had been asking for Special Category, the two states got special additional funds while Odisha’s demand was not considered. Probably this is the punishment for electing 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs out of 21 seats from Odisha and the reward to the BJP allies from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh,” BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra posted on X.
Senior Congress leader Srikant Jena also alleged that Odisha has been betrayed by the BJP-led NDA government in the budget.
“The double-engine government has failed to give justice to the state in the budget,” Jena said.
Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd (UCCIL) said some areas of Odisha have been identified for cluster development, while announcements made for the promotion of tourism are welcome.
“On a scale of 1-10, UCCI will rate this Budget as 6,” the industry body said.
The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha expressed happiness with the budget giving priority to the tourism sector.
PTI