Naveen dubs budget as ‘full menu in empty kitchen’

Bhubaneswar: Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Friday dubbed the Odisha budget as “a full menu in an empty kitchen”. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented the annual budget in the State Assembly with a total outlay of Rs 3.10 lakh crore. When journalists sought his reaction to the budget, Patnaik said, “What can I say about this budget? It sounds to me like a full menu in an empty kitchen. That’s what I feel about this budget.”

The BJD MLA, Arun Sahoo, said the government has enhanced the size of the budget by increasing public debt. “The BJP government prepared an elephant-like budget, but when it comes to expenditure, it will turn into an ant,” he claimed. “The LoP might be hinting at a lack of enough funds to meet the size of the budget. The State has estimated that the total debt would reach Rs 1,55,710 crore by the end of March 2027, which is 14.1 per cent of the GSDP,” he added.

The Congress, which staged a walkout during the Chief Minister’s budget speech, alleged that there was nothing new in the announcements. Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam said he was disappointed with the budget because the government has enhanced the outlay, but failed to spend the allocated funds. “During the current financial year, the government has not yet been able to spend 43 per cent of the allocated funds. About 22 departments have even failed to utilise half of the budgetary allocation,” he alleged.

Dismissing the criticisms, State BJP president Manmohan Samal said the budget reflects the party’s commitment to building a prosperous Odisha. “Priority has been given to agriculture, tourism, irrigation and flood control, health, education, industry, sports, skill development and ensuring food security,” he said. “In addition, financial provisions have been made in the budget to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of people from all sections and regions, along with the promotion of Odia culture,” he said, congratulating the Chief Minister.

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the budget will fulfil the hopes and aspirations of all sections of people.