Bhubaneswar: Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik has voiced his dissatisfaction with the Odisha Budget 2025-26, presented by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the state Assembly on Monday.
While the budget introduced 16 new initiatives, Patnaik questioned the effectiveness of merely announcing large financial allocations.
“A significant portion of last year’s budget remains unutilized. Industrial growth is declining, and the state’s financial health is worsening. It appears that the so-called double engine government is moving in reverse,” he remarked while addressing the media.
Patnaik also highlighted rising inflation, ongoing farmer suicides, unemployment concerns, and the lack of job opportunities for women under Mission Shakti.
“It is not enough to declare large sums in the budget; what truly matters is their proper expenditure for the state’s progress. This budget must be spent wisely, and we will closely monitor its implementation,” he added.
Chief Minister Majhi presented a Rs2,90,000 crore budget, which Deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo termed as “people-friendly and people-oriented.”
Responding to Patnaik’s remarks, Singh Deo refrained from direct criticism but stated, “He will never acknowledge this government’s work. He was in power for 24 years and failed to deliver. CM Majhi has focused on every sector, and his detailed budget presentation—spanning over 2.5 hours—was unprecedented in the Assembly.”
