BHUBANESWAR: With the change in government, 2024 showcased Odisha as a battleground for competing political visions. Both BJD and BJP prioritised welfare and infrastructure amid the tussle over scheme ownership reflecting deeper divides. The governance saw a dramatic political narrative marked by the transition of power from BJD to BJP.
The shift resulted in the rolling out of new cash transfer schemes and the renaming of flagship welfare programmes, sparking debates on continuity versus political rebranding.
The previous BJD government had launched a plethora of new initiatives and poll sops to the tune of more than Rs 30,000 crore in the run-up to the Assembly and general elections in May-June.
From the Rs 6,255.94 crore Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Project to Rs 4,000 crore integrated irrigation project in Malkangiri and Nua-O scholarship for students to Rs 1 lakh interest-free loan through ‘SWAYAM’, it tried to woo people from different sections of the society in the last quarter of the last financial year.
The government had provided one-time livelihood assistance of Rs 1,000 in the shape of cash to each of the 95,90,526 families covered under PDS, besides two jute bags to each of the families that cost the government coffers Rs 1,200 crore. It also doubled maternity benefits for pregnant and lactating mothers under the Mamata scheme and provided Rs 50,000 to around 7,200 Bhagabat Tungis. It organised the first World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar to celebrate the antiquity and continuity of Odia language having a 2,500-year history.
After wresting power in mid-2024 driven by Odia Asmita (Odia pride), the BJP government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on the first day in office on June 12, announced to opening all four gates of Lord Jagannath temple at Puri and reopened its Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) as promised during the elections. Three gates of the temple were closed by the BJD government since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 leading to heavy rush at the entrance.
In July, Majhi presented the highest annual budget of Rs 2.65 lakh crore, emphasising inclusive growth with 19 new initiatives supporting farmers, women, youth and marginalised communities. He constituted a corpus of Rs 500 crore for the promotion of Jagannath culture and made a provision of Rs 200 crore for the promotion of Odia art, culture, heritage and literature.
The BJP government implemented a significant shake-up in the bureaucracy to redefine governance in the state. A series of reshuffles saw several bureaucrats being reassigned or replaced with the government emphasising the need for enhanced accountability and efficiency in administration. It signalled a shift towards a governance model that prioritises political leadership over bureaucratic dominance, an approach seen as a departure from the previous BJD dispensation.
Keeping some of the major poll promises, Majhi rolled out welfare programmes like Subhadra Yojana and Samrudha Krushak Yojana for financial empowerment and agricultural development. While the government promised Rs 50,000 cash transfers for eligible women, aged 21 to 60 in 10 instalments over five years under Subhadra, it addressed farmers' concerns with an enhanced paddy procurement price of Rs 3,100 per quintal.
A new initiative ‘Madho Singh Haath Kharcha Yojana’ was also launched to provide financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to every tribal student to curb dropout.
Despite threats from Khalistani separatist Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun to disrupt, the government successfully organised the three-day all-India DG-IGP conference, which was held for the first time in the state, drawing appreciation from several states and the Centre.
Team Majhi visited Singapore and conducted several domestic investment roadshows showcasing Odisha as an ultimate investment destination. They secured several investment intents and clinched the deal with a joint venture of JSW Group and POSCO for a mega steel plant in Keonjhar district more than a decade after the South Korean steel major backed out due to land acquisition hurdles.
As promised, the BJP government also announced to implementation of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) for providing cashless health coverage upto Rs 5 lakh per family per annum across 27,000 hospitals in the country. It, however, retained the essence of many BJD programmes and rebranded at least 21 welfare schemes and programmes sparking a war of words between the two parties, each accusing the other of politicising welfare initiatives for electoral gain.
The government also drafted Odisha Vision 2036 and 2047 documents aligning with the broader national aspiration of Viksit Bharat@2047 to make Odisha a developed state by 2036 when it will complete 100 years of formation and achieve a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2047.
Majhi had to fight crises of hooch deaths in Ganjam, communal tensions in Balasore and Bhadrak, mismanagement during the Rath Yatra and mango kernel deaths in Kandhamal district. If the fall of Lord Balabhadra from the chariot during Rath Yatra was a major embarrassment, the deaths of three tribal women after consuming mango kernel gruel due to e-KYC mess earned bad name for the state government.