Focused On Healthcare And Welfare Sector, Naveen’s Common Man Agenda Reflected In Interim Budget

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has once again showed that the Common man is the king and all the activities of the government revolve around the welfare of the citizens. The Interim Budget presented by Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari has come out with a detailed blue print for the next financial year wherein the thrust will be more on healthcare, agriculture, education, infrastructure development and welfare activities. As was in the previous budget, the Interim Budget makes a record allocation for the healthcare sector with the priority being on Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana. For farmers, the Kalia Yojana has once again become a priority scheme for the Naveen Patnaik led government. With an aim to increase the income of the farmers, the Kalia Scheme has also been extended till 2023-24. The state government’s flagship program to transform the infrastructure of the state schools got a fillip with a significant allocation of Rs 439 crore rupees. In totality, the Budget can be hailed as the best that a government can accommodate in a pandemic situation hit by many other issues. While the Budget takes care of the people’s aspirations, it also keeps an eye on the state’s growth and development perspectives.

With the Interim Budget for 2022-23 fiscal, the Government has reiterated its commitment to a health Odisha. The Healthcare sector has received the highest allocation by the Finance Minister. The Minister has made an allocation of Rs 12, 241 Crore to the healthcare sector which is 6.1 percent of the total budget amount. While the most important Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana got 1864 crore allocation, the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Seva Mission has received Rs 2335 Crore. The Government intends to spend Rs 2156 Crore for building health infrastructure and services under the National Health Mission and Rs 312 crore has been provided for Human Resource in Health and Medical Education.

The Agriculture and allied sector has also received a significant increase in the allocation in the Budget. An amount of Rs 2,344 Crore has been earmarked to be spent in the agriculture sector. The Krushak Assistance For Livelihood And Income Augmentation – KALIA Scheme has been granted Rs 1774 as compared to last year’s Rs 1800 crore. The scheme will directly benefit more than 51 lakh farmers of the state. The Government has also extended the scheme till 2023-24 financial year.

Another priority sector the Government of Odisha – the sports sector has once again been given thumbs up in the budget. The government has made a massive increase in the allocation made for the sports sector as the state has become a hub for national and international sporting events. The Budget has provisions for Rs 602 crore, of which Rs 411 Crore will be spent on sports infrastructure development in the state including the International Hockey stadium being constructed in Rourkela and the Mini stadiums being set up all districts.

The people’s Budget for 2022-23 has also given priority to the schemes such as ABADHA, EKAMRA and SAMALEI. The budget has earmarked Rs 1,408 Crore for transformation of Puri into a World Heritage City under the ABADHA scheme. Last year the allocation was Rs 542 Crore. The increase allocation for the development of Puri shows the commitment of the Chief Minister for the transformation of the holy city into an international pilgrimage hub.

Likewise, Rs 200 Crore will be spent on transformation and periphery development of Ekamra Kshetra. The Samaleshwari Temple Area Management and Local Economic Initiative has been allocated Rs 200 Crore. All these development works are being undertaken under the aegis of the 5T Initiatives.

Another important sector that has received the highest allocation in the Budget is the Education and Skill Development sector. It has received an allocation of Rs 26, 492 crore for the financial year 2022-23. Mo School abhijan of the state government has been allocated Rs 521 Crore and the Samagra Sikhsa has been allocated Rs 3552 Crore. The 5T High Schools Transformation Program under the 5T Initiatives has been allocated an amount of Rs 439 Crore. The State government intends to transform all the High Schools of the state into state of the art learning centers with worls class infrastructure and facilities. More than a thousand schools have already been transformed in the last two years under this initiative.
The focus for the Government of Odisha has always been on the development of the women and children. The government has made an increased allocation of Rs 3566 crore for the Women and Child Welfare Department. The Mission Shakti Department, which is spearheading the Self Help Movement in the state has been allocated an amount of Rs 2000 Crore for the financial year 2022-23.

The State Government’s has allocated an amount of Rs 3210 Crore for the Disaster response fund. The Disaster Management Department has been allocated Rs 6469 Crore for the financial year 2022-23.

For strengthen the supply of water for irrigation and drinking purposes from major rivers, the state government intends to spend Rs 1044 crore for instream storage structures I the major rivers of the state. As part of its commitment to the food security of the common man, the government has allocated an amount of Rs 1023 crore for the one rupee rice distribution scheme. Biju Expressway, the lifeline for the development of the western Odisha has been allocated a significant amount at Rs 300 crore.

At a time when the country is going through a difficult time of pandemic and the impacts of geo political issues, Odisha has been able to withstand the difficulties. While the state’s own sources of income have improved showing an upward movement of the economy, the spending on welfare activities will have a direct impact on the growth of the state in the coming days. The fiscal management of the State Government has been commendable and one of the best in the country. A clear balance has been achieved in the Budget between strengthening infrastructure and increasing the incomes of the common man.