Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Friday presented a ₹3.10 lakh crore budget for 2026-27 in the state Assembly, with a focus on making Odisha prosperous by 2036 — the centenary year of its statehood.
For the first time, the overall outlay has crossed ₹3 lakh crore, with the government setting a 12 per cent growth target for the next financial year.
Majhi outlined a road map centred on growth, social welfare, infrastructure expansion, capital investment and accelerated economic development across key sectors.
Women-centric schemes received significant allocations. Under the Subhadra scheme — in which more than one crore women receive ₹10,000 in two instalments — ₹10,000 crore has been allocated this year. The Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangal Yojana was also announced, providing ₹20,000 as a savings instrument for every girl born in an economically weaker section family, with ₹1,01,000 payable upon graduation.
To strengthen women’s empowerment, the government will launch Subhadra Shakti Samvad and Subhadra Wellness Centres to provide a participatory platform for beneficiaries to share experiences and raise concerns.
Another key highlight was “Odia Asmita (Odia pride)”, a major BJP poll plank in 2024. The government has earmarked ₹1,000 crore for the development of Puri Shree Jagannath Temple.
As part of its plans, the government will set up a world-class Shree Jagannath Museum, a Jagannath Interpretation Centre and a World Tourism Centre and Library in Puri. Development work will also be undertaken at the Gundicha Temple, Emar Mutt and Raghunandan Library. “The first and foremost priority of the government is to preserve and propagate the Jagannath culture,” Majhi said.
The BJP had come to power raising the Jagannath temple issue and criticising the previous Naveen Patnaik government for allegedly demolishing temples and mutts during the beautification of the 12th-century shrine and pilgrim town of Puri.
An allocation of ₹5 crore has been made for counting and auditing the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) of the shrine. The chief minister also announced the launch of a digital hundi, christened “Samarpan”, to facilitate online donations by devotees.
Seeking to address farmers’ concerns, Majhi announced measures to streamline paddy procurement, including the creation of 1,000 model mandis and construction of 11 lakh metric tonnes of storage capacity at a cost of ₹240 crore. A ₹5,000 crore revolving fund will be created to ensure timely payments to farmers. For months, farmers have been protesting alleged lapses in procurement, and the Assembly has been unable to function for the past three days over the issue.
The budget also seeks to woo the middle class with a waiver of professional tax. Additionally, six lakh people left out of social security coverage will be brought under the Madhu Babu Pension Scheme.
For rural development, ₹800 crore has been allocated under State Support for Rural Piped Water Supply Projects to ensure safe and sustainable drinking water for every rural household in 2026-27.
Reacting to the proposals, former chief minister and leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said: “What can I say about this budget? It seems to be like a full menu in an empty kitchen.”
