On February 22, 2021, Odisha’s Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari presented the State Budget for the Financial Year 2021-22 with an budget outlay of INR 1, 70, 000 Crores.
- The Budget was presented through the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) & Odisha Budget Mobile App.
- It was presented in 2 parts – ‘Agriculture Budget’ & ‘General Budget’.
The Major emphasis of the budget was ‘New Odisha-Empowered Odisha’. The major areas of focus were health, agriculture, education, livelihoods, infrastructure & industries.
Key Points:
During the Budget presentation, Niranjan Pujari launched or introduced many key initiatives. Some of them are
- Introduction of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Budget document.
- Conversion of SCB Medical College, Cuttack into ‘AIIMS plus Institute’ for providing world-class health care facilities by spending INR 3500 Crores over 3 years.
- Allocation of INR 542 Crore under ABADHA (Augmentation of Basic Amenities and Development of Heritage and Architecture (ABADHA)) scheme to transform Puri into a World Heritage City.
- Establishment of a New World Class Hockey Stadium in Rourkela with an outlay of INR 90 Crore.
- Introduction of Fiscal risk statement for managing risk exposures.
- INR 795 Crores for the construction of ‘In-stream Storage Structures (ISS)’ in all major rivers of Odisha
- Provision of INR 450 Crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).
Sector-wise Highlights
Education and Skill Sector
Education and skill development has received the highest allocation in the Budget for 2021-22 fiscal with the State government earmarking a whopping Rs 24,370 crore with a major thrust on holistic development of schools, colleges and skill training institutes.
- The budget for education sector this fiscal will focus on imparting quality education and providing employable skills.
- An allocation of Rs 253 crore has been made under Mo School programme, six times more than the previous fiscal.
- Department wise, budget provision of Rs 18.279 crore has been made for the SME department, while Rs 2,416.63 crore is allocated for Higher Education department and Rs 664 crore for Skill Development and Technical Education department.
Health
The sum allocated for the Health Sector was INR 9, 164 crore, which was an increase of 19% from the budget of 2020-21.
- INR 1, 353 Crore allocated under the scheme Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana for free Medical facilities. It will provide coverage of up to INR 5 lakh per family in case of male members & INR 10 Lakh in case of female members.
- In order to build up the health infrastructure & services, a provision of INR 1, 572 crore was made under the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Seva Mission.
- INR 370 crore was allocated under the Nirmal Scheme for maintaining quality of sanitation, laundry, security, gardening & lift service in public health facilities.
Drinking Water Supply
The state budget has also announced an investment of INR 12, 000 Crore for piped drinking water supply projects across Odisha
Agriculture
- Allocation of INR 17, 469 Crore to Agriculture and allied activities.
- Outlay of INR 1, 800 crore under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA). KALIA scheme involves payments to encourage cultivation and associated activities
- The budget has provided INR 819 Crore towards Interest Subvention on crop loans to Co-operative & commercial banks.
Industry
- INR 465 Crore allocated to promote the MSME sector.
- An outlay of INR 163 Crore for handloom, handicrafts, sericulture and textile sectors.
Sports
Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela which is one of the venues for Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023 is set to be developed as India’s Largest Hockey Stadium at a cost of INR 120 Crores.
Disaster management
- The Finance Minister has allocated INR 3, 050 crore for disaster management.
- The FM has also set aside INR 100 Crore for the World Bank-assisted Odisha Disaster Recovery Project.
Livelihood
A Provision of INR 3, 000 Crore for the year 2021-22 for the construction of 5 lakh pucca houses through convergence of PMAY-Gramin (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana) & Biju Pucca Ghar Schemes.
WASH Initiatives – Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene
An investment of INR 12, 000 Crore for piped drinking water including the INR 6, 300 Crore under Jal Jeevan Mission for operation & maintenance of water supply systems.
Click here to read the full Budget
About Odisha:
Chief Minister – Naveen Patnaik
Governor – Ganeshi Lal
