BHUBANESWAR: Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan described the Union Budget as ‘a solid blueprint for fully harnessing India’s growth potential’, fostering inclusive development of all sections and achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Pradhan said the budget is future-oriented, youth-centric and employment-driven, and asserted that it places Odisha at the centre of India’s eastern growth strategy. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Pradhan said the budget is guided by three objectives, accelerating economic growth, expanding opportunities and ensuring access to resources and services for every family. Highlighting key allocations, he said the education sector has received an eight per cent increase, with an outlay of Rs 1.39 lakh crore.
Major initiatives include the launch of the ‘BioPharma Shakti’ programme with an allocation of Rs 10,000 crore over five years and the India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 with an outlay of Rs 40,000 crore. A Rs 10,000 crore MSME growth fund has been proposed, along with the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj’ campaign to strengthen labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, khadi and handicrafts.
The minister said a new Education-to-Employment and Entrepreneurship standards committee will be formed to improve youth employability. AVGC (animation and gaming) labs will be set up in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges, while girls’ hostels will be constructed in every district to promote STEM education.
Pradhan said the Budget accords top priority to Odisha through the development of National Waterway-5 linking Talcher-Angul with Paradip and Dhamra ports and the establishment of a Rare Earth Corridor. He said initiatives such as the East Coast Development Corridor, a new freight corridor from Dankuni to Surat, and proposed institutions like the National Institute of Design and NIPER would strengthen the state’s industrial ecosystem.
The minister further said measures to support kendu leaf sellers, promote coconut, cashew and cocoa cultivation, empower women self-help groups and fisher organisations, and develop eco-tourism projects such as turtle trails would boost livelihoods, tourism and the blue economy.
State BJP president Manmohan Samal said the Union Budget will be a game-changer for India’s growth with as its focus on farmers, women, youth, employment, education, healthcare and MSMEs.