Odisha CM proffers mixed reaction on Union Budget, expresses concern over slash in MGNREGA allocation
By Swagatika Bhutia
Bhubaneswar, Feb. 1: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday proffered a mixed reaction to the Union Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
He said the Budget has some good aspects which need to be appreciated and there are some concerns which need to be looked into and addressed.
“Good steps are increased capital investment, support to drinking water initiatives and increasing rural housing,” he said.
The CM welcomed the Prime Minister’s thrust on millets.
“The Odisha Millet Mission is a pioneering initiative in the country and I am happy that millets have been given importance in the Budget,” he said.
“The focus on new world technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of Things is appreciable. The focus on primitive tribal groups is also a welcome step, he said.
“I have concerns regarding the drastic reduction of funds for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This will hit the poor people. The reduction in food security budget along with reduction in procurement will hit the poor people as well as farmers. About Rs 80,000 crore was spent on procurement in 2021-22 while only about Rs 60,000 crore is kept in this Budget. This will cause serious problems in selling crops at Minimum Support Price,” Patnaik said.
While in 2021-22 an amount of Rs 2 lakh crore was spent under the National Food Security, in this Budget only Rs 1.37 lakh crore is kept for this purpose, he pointed out.
There has been a decrease or no growth in health and education sectors.
“Now to the point which Odisha BJP always harps on. The budget provision for Ayushman Bharat ‘PMJAY’ is Rs 7,200 crore for the entire country and Odisha spends almost about Rs 2,400 crore on Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) in private facilities alone. If we include government facilities it would be around Rs 6,000 crore annually under BSKY. Health is an important priority for our state and we believe in investing and in sincere efforts. I hope the Odisha state BJP unit will refrain from hoodwinking people on Ayushman Bharat Yojana,” said the CM.
