Bhubaneswar, March 16: A general feeling of dissatisfaction lingers about the Union budget 2012-13 in Odisha amid some gains secured mostly in the rural sector.

An allocation of Rs 50 crore to the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in the 2012-13 budget has brought cheers to its students and staff members.

Elated over this announcement made by Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament today, vice-chancellor of OUAT D.P. Ray said this was perhaps the first time in the history of the state that a university would receive such a huge grant from the Centre.

“The money will be spent for infrastructural development of the university. The constituent colleges of the OUAT and the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (farming technology centres) functioning under the it will also benefit from this grants,” Ray said.

However, the budget has, on the whole, invited criticism from various quarters. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: “Regrettably, while mega handloom clusters have been announced for other states, the interest of thousands of poor weavers of Odisha have once again been ignored. There is nothing in the budget for Odisha.”

Naveen further said the Union budget appeared to be a futile attempt of the UPA government to moderate inflation and step up growth. “There is no policy measure for containing inflation or to extend the reach of public distribution systems. Also, there is no new programme to accelerate infrastructure,” the chief minister said.

People watch the budget session at an electronics showroom in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

BJD MP Baijayant Panda also shared Naveen’s concern and said it was unfortunate that no special packages had been announced for Odisha in the budget. CPI(M) state committee member Dushmant Kumar Das and Samajwadi state unit president Rabi Behera have also criticised the budget for not giving due weightage to Odisha.

However, state government officials appeared relieved as three poor districts — Kalahandi, Balangir, Koraput (KBK) — figured again under the flagship Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) scheme, which is designed to redress imbalances in development.

The allocation to the BRGF has gone up to Rs 12,040 crore. The funds provide financial resources for supplementing and converging existing development inflows into identified districts.

On the other hand, Odisha will also benefit from the allocation made for green revolution in the eastern region. The funds allocation has been increased from Rs 400 crore to Rs 1,000 crore under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Similarly, the state can expect to get its due share from various welfare programmes of the Centre, such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Mid-day Meal Scheme, rural sanitation scheme, Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan, and special assistance for the KBK areas.

Congress spokesperson Arjya Gyanendra said: “We must thank the Centre for giving special attention to the KBK areas and the OUAT. The Centre’s plan to set up 12,000 new schools is also a welcome step.”