Bhubaneswar, Jan. 24: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced that the state’s budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 will be significantly larger than the previous year, with a strong emphasis on sectors like agriculture, industry, and employment. He assured that feedback from various stakeholders would be incorporated to make the budget more inclusive and people-focused.

Speaking to the press after a pre-budget consultation with stakeholders, CM Majhi confirmed that the state budget will be presented on February 17, 2025. He emphasized that the government’s priorities for the upcoming budget will center on improving the social sector, with a particular focus on fostering growth in agriculture and creating new employment opportunities.

In July 2024, CM Majhi had presented a budget of Rs 2.65 lakh crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year, a 15 per cent increase over the previous year’s budget estimate of Rs 2.30 lakh crore. A substantial allocation of Rs 33,919 crore was made for agriculture, marking a 36 per cent rise from the previous year. The budget also included Rs 1.55 lakh crore for programme expenses, Rs 97,725 crore for administrative expenditures, and Rs 3,900 crore for disaster risk management.

On December 5, the Odisha Assembly passed a supplementary budget of Rs 12,155.70 crore, further increasing the overall budget for 2024-25.

“This year, we are looking at an even larger budget,” CM Majhi stated. “We’ve received numerous suggestions from citizens and stakeholders on how we can make the budget more beneficial to the people, and these will be reflected in the final document.”

The Chief Minister also pointed to the state’s investment prospects, noting that Odisha has already secured Rs 2.5 lakh crore in investment proposals ahead of the ‘Utkarsha Odisha: Make in Odisha Conclave 2025,’ set to take place on January 28-29. The state is aiming to reach a total of Rs 5 lakh crore in investment commitments, which is expected to generate over 1.5 lakh new job opportunities.

Additionally, CM Majhi shared that his government has already filled 20,000 vacant posts within the first seven months of its tenure and is working to fill another 20,000 positions in the near future.

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