Odisha Would Be Hit by Drastic Reduction of Share in Central Taxes: Naveen on Union Budget 2021-22

Bhubaneswar: Odisha would be hit by drastic reduction of share in central taxes for the current year, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday.

In his remarks on the Union Budget 2021-22 presented by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha, Naveen said that his state would be hit by drastic reduction of share in central taxes by about Rs 10,840 crore for the current year and as per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission the horizontal share will decrease from 4.629 percent to 4.528 percent for coming 5 years. This will seriously impact the State, he added.

Further capital investments very much required in Odisha both in railways and highways sectors as it has been planned for other states, the CM said.

He further said that there is a need to increase allocation in social assistance programmes and quantum of transfers for local bodies.

Centralization of revenue by introduction of cess in petrol and diesel will weaken the centre state fiscal balance.

Banks have to be made accountable to extend credit to women, farmers and MSMEs, the CM further stated.

Naveen expressed his satisfaction over Mission Shakti appearing in the budget focusing on women empowerment.

“After Odisha’s Mamata scheme was adopted by Union Government from 2011-2012, replication of our states flagship women empowerment initiative Mission Shakti clearly shows that Odisha sets benchmark for the nation”, the CM said.

After Mamata and Mission Sakti the next logical step towards women empowerment would be reservation for women in Lok Sabha and the State Assemblies. We will continue to fight for this, he added.