No Special Status for Odisha in Union Budget, Naveen Patnaik “Disappointed”

Bhubaneswar: The BJD supremo and former Odisha Chief expressed his “disappointment” over the Union Budget for ignoring Odisha’s long standing demand for a special category status.

“The BJP had put special category status in their manifesto as a promise to the people of Odisha. However, this promise has not been considered for Odisha, whereas special packages have been announced for Andhra Pradesh and Bihar,” Patnaik said.

“There has been nothing substantial for Odisha over the years, and this Budget has also been a disappointment for us,” he said.

He pointed out that Odisha’s request for a special package for disaster management was also ignored by the Centre.

Patnaik also lamented that the demand for revision of coal royalty was also rejected by the Centre for which Odisha would lose thousands of crores of revenue every year.

Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, ruled by the NDA’s key allies, TDP and JD(U) respectively got ample allocations in the Union Budget. While Rs 15,000 crore was allocated to develop Andhra Pradesh’s new capital, Amaravati, Rs 26,000 crore was earmarked for road connectivity projects in Bihar.

But the BJD chief expressed satisfaction over the Centre’s decision to develop tourist attractions in Odisha.