Bhubaneswar, February 21 A day after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented the Odisha Budget, the opposition BJD on Saturday claimed that the state government’s attempt to take credit by increasing the budget size to Rs 3.10 lakh crore is "unacceptable," as it is effectively negative when considering inflation.
Majhi presented a Rs 3.10 lakh crore budget for the year 2026-27, compared to the previous year's Rs 2.90 lakh crore.
Addressing a press conference here, opposition Deputy Leader Prasanna Acharya said, "Compared to the previous year, the budget has increased by only 6.25 per cent. Considering inflation at 8 per cent, the budget size has effectively decreased by nearly 2 per cent. The state's revenue is declining, and the government is pushing Odisha into a debt trap."
Describing the 2026–27 Odisha Budget as "hollow and for publicity," Acharya said that there is no point in claiming credit for raising the budget size considering inflation at 8 per cent.
Acharya said that after Naveen Patnaik became the Chief Minister of the BJD government, he improved the previously distressed financial condition and transformed Odisha into a fiscally disciplined state.
"However, the present government is again pushing the state toward financial instability by relying heavily on loans. In just three budgets, the current government has borrowed approximately Rs 1.38 lakh crore. The government is dependent on loans while showing “golden dreams” to the people," he alleged.
Acharya further alleged that the government has neither a plan nor sincerity to resolve farmers’ issues.
"The allocation for the Health department has been reduced. Under the Biju Health Scheme, instead of the earlier 90:10 sharing pattern, the expenditure will now be on a 60:40 ratio basis, which will increase the financial burden on the state," he pointed out.
Terming the state budget as purely publicity-driven, Acharya said that many schemes have been announced but funds have not been allocated.
"'Mungerilal ki haseen sapne' (daydreams). The government is merely showing false dreams of development to the people," he alleged.
Former finance minister and MLA Niranjan Pujari said that the BJP government, which came to power with the slogan “Double Engine, Double Development,” has disappointed the people of Odisha, as central grants are not increasing but rather decreasing.
“Only 47 per cent of the previous budget has been spent. Central assistance is declining, and the farming community in the state is in distress. The state government merely announces schemes but fails to implement them,” Pujari alleged.
BJD MLA Gautam Buddha Das stated that the budget is hollow and reflects a visionless and irresponsible government.
“Naveen Patnaik had made Odisha number one in fiscal discipline, but the present government is increasing the debt burden. Nearly 40 per cent of the total borrowings are being raised from the open market at high interest rates, pushing the state’s financial condition toward a ‘red zone’,” Das alleged.
Das alleged that while the government is unable to spend the allocated funds across various departments, it is borrowing at high interest rates. “The state’s growth rate is declining while debt is rising, which could cripple the economy. The fiscal deficit has increased from 1.7 per cent to 3.5 per cent,” he said.