BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said the 2025-26 budget will focus on strengthening rural economy by fulfilling the aspirations and needs of the deprived sections.
Addressing a pre-budget consultation meeting attended by former finance ministers, experts and representatives of different associations, the chief minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, said the emphasis will be on creating a ‘People’s Budget’. He will present the budget for 2025-26 in the Assembly on February 17.
Stating that the government is committed to fulfil all its promises made in the 2024 elections, Majhi said employment generation will be given topmost priority. He said the government will recruit 40,000 people during 2025-26.
“In the 2024 election manifesto, BJP had promised to fill up 1.5 lakh vacant government posts including 65,000 in two years and create employment opportunities for 3.5 lakh people by 2029. The state government has already given recruitment to 20,000 youth in different sectors,” he said.
Majhi said besides strengthening rural economy and prioritising employment generation, the budget will lay emphasis on industry, tourism, IT, renewable energy, textiles, petrochemicals and agro industry sectors.
The state government has already approved investment proposals worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, which are expected to create employment opportunities for more than 1.10 lakh people.
“The industrial sector, especially agro industry, is critical to improving the socio-economic condition of rural Odisha,” he stressed and said expeditious steps will be taken to set up cold storages to help the farmers.
The cabinet has approved ‘Viksit Gaon, Viksit Odisha’ scheme to create sustainable income sources in villages to reduce migration to urban areas, he added.
The chief minister invited public suggestions on budget via email, WhatsApp, and social media by January 31. He said that the fiscal response team of the government will go through the opinions and suggestions received from the people and prioritise those which can be implemented.
After the BJP formed the government in June, Majhi presented a Rs 12.65 lakh crore budget for 2024-25 fiscal with focus on agriculture and irrigation, on July 25 last year.