Odisha presents Rs 2,000 bn budget with focus on healthcare

Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari presented a Rs 2,000 billion budget for the 2022-23 financial year in the state assembly last week, with a focus on strengthening infrastructure and developing the education and health sectors. This is 17.6% per cent higher than the annual budget for 2021-22. An earlier vote-on-account of Rs 1,100 billion for the first four months of 2022-23 included Rs 1,000 billion for the government sector, administrative expenditure of Rs 896 billion, disaster relief fund of Rs 321 billion and transfers from the state to the tune of Rs 717 billion. The proposed programme budget size for 2022-23 is 33 per cent higher than that of 2021-22, he said, adding that the state economic growth rate in 2022-23 is estimated to be 9-9.5 per cent compared to the national growth rate of 7.8 per cent. A total of Rs 122.41 billion has been allocated for the health sector in 2022-23, of which Rs 57.53 billion is for the first four months. Also Read: SEZs to be revamped, allowed to sell in domestic marketUP government to introduce a new MSME policy soon