Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has unveiled a significant policy initiative aimed at supporting Agniveers, announcing a 10 per cent reservation and a five-year age relaxation for them in uniformed services.
In a related development, the Odisha Government presented a substantial budget of Rs 2.65 lakh crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year on Thursday.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida highlighted that Rs 10,000 crore has been allocated for the Subhadra scheme.
She elaborated, “We have prepared a list of 1 crore 50 lakh women. An SOP will be established to determine the distribution of funds, with feedback from various societal sectors guiding the finalisation. The Subhadra scheme will be launched when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Odisha on September 17.”
Former Odisha BJP chief Samir Mohanty praised the budget, calling it “historic” and noting, “This is a people-oriented budget. Typically, election manifestos are mere formalities, but our manifesto was developed after extensive public feedback. With 65-70 per cent of Odisha’s population being farmers, this budget is designed to benefit them.”
CM Majhi was congratulated by the general public and various organisations at the State Guest House for presenting a development-focused budget, on Thursday.
However, BJD MLA Pratap Dev criticised the budget, accusing the government of lacking innovation and merely repackaging old schemes under new names. He argued that the government’s promises to address issues with fresh approaches had not materialised, describing the budget as a continuation of previous agendas.
Former Odisha CM and Opposition Leader Naveen Patnaik also criticised the budget, labelling it as a “double-engine but double disappointment”.
