Double-engine government moving in reverse gear, says Naveen Patnaik
BHUBANESWAR : Leader of Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik criticised the budget of Rs 2.9 lakh crore placed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stating the double-engine government in Odisha was moving in reverse gear.
Stating that a very large sum of money from the 2024-25 budget has not been spent, Naveen said, “Industrial growth is going down, so are the finances. The prices of essential commodities is affecting everyone, suicide of farmers continues, women are not getting work in Mission Shakti and unemployment is spiralling.”
The former chief minister further said that announcing a large sum of money in the budget is not important. “What has to be done is the expenditure of the sum for the development of the state,” he said and questioned what was the meaning of budget if it is not spent. “I repeat again that this is a budget which must be spent. We will watch and see what is to be done,” he added.
Meanwhile, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Bhakta Charan Das said the double-engine government has not lived up to the expectations of the people with this budget. Stating that the budget will create further imbalance among different regions, Das said the government has failed to announce any plan for development of 10 tribal-dominated districts in the budget.
Alleging that no concrete steps have been announced to tackle the growing unemployment problem in the state, the OPCC president said the budget is not pro-poor.
