Opposition BJP and Congress members on Tuesday targeted the State Government over its robust Annual Budget alleging that it has completely failed in creating income source during the last 20 years.
However, the ruling BJD boasted of saying that the State has witnessed development in all sectors and is still marching ahead both economically and socially.
“The State Government has presented a Rs 1,50,000-crore Annual Budget. It is a Centre-based Budget. The State has estimated its own income at Rs 56,000 crore while the Union Government will provide Rs 68,300 crore and the rest would be made up with loans,” said BJP Legislature Party Deputy Leader Bishnu Charan Sethy while participating in General Discussion of Budget.
He alleged that the State Government is creating new modulations to divert Central funds to the schemes run by it.
He alleged that unemployment scenario has been acute in the State with about 1 crore boys and girls waiting to get jobs.
He said while hospitals and schools are lacking doctors and teachers respectively, the Government has failed in providing irrigation, cold storage facilities to the farmers.
Congress member Suresh Kumar Routray said the Government is making only false claims of development. While poor people are yet to get basic facilities, a few people have been extremely rich by stealing the State’s mines. Corruption is marked everywhere in the State,
he alleged.
However, BJD member Amar Prasad Satpathy termed the Budget as 5 Ps (Paperless, Participatory, Permissive, for People and Prosperity)
“The Annual Budget has been increased from Rs 11,800 crore in 1999-2000 to Rs 1,35,000 crore in 2019-20 and the State’s own tax from Rs 1,704 crore to Rs 33,550 crore during the period,” he said.