BHUBANESWAR : With the eyes set on transforming Odisha into a developed state by 2036, the state government has decided to go for complete overhauling of budget proposals, which will now onwards prioritise the realisation of milestones targeted as part of Viksit Odisha vision framework.
Nearly a fortnight after the Finance department issued fresh guidelines to prepare the annual budget of 2026-27 in a multi-year ceiling format, development commissioner Anu Garg has asked all administrative departments to submit their budget estimates strictly in alignment with the action plan for next two years.
“Realisation of outcomes of Odisha Vision Document 2036 and 2047 is the top priority for all departments. Proposals must reflect the roadmap for transformation and measurable outcomes and the administrative departments must prioritise and submit their proposals in line with the action plan for next 24 months,” Garg wrote to all secretaries.
The departments have been intimated that the crucial feature in the next budget will be strict enforcement of expenditure ceilings. The Finance department will soon communicate sector-specific ceilings under state sector, centrally-sponsored schemes and central sector schemes.
Accordingly, the departments will map their budget proposals to these ceilings and submit through the Budget Execution Technique Automation (BETA) system by December 20. The system will disallow proposals exceeding the approved limit.
“The state government is keen on ensuring complete discipline and outcome-based spending. All departments will have to ensure that proposals remain within ceilings and are closely linked to the Vision 2036 outcomes,” a senior official in the Finance department said.
For centrally-sponsored schemes and central sector schemes, departments have been instructed to propose allocations based on expected central assistance for 2026-27, factoring in the approved sharing pattern and annual work programmes. In a move to clean up the scheme architecture, the development commissioner has asked departments to prune schemes that have outlived their utility, become redundant, or do not align with current state priorities.
The departments have also been advised to explore convergence opportunities with extra-budgetary funding sources including district mineral foundation (DMF), Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC), Odisha State Agricultural Marketing Board, Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board and CAMPA funds.
“This is expected to enhance investment in critical sectors such as health, education, sanitation, electricity, housing and critical infrastructure without putting additional burden on the state budget,” the official said.
Since unspent allocations continue to be a major challenge, Garg has asked departments not to allocate funds under state sector schemes that do not have mandatory financial appraisal.