State budget will reflect people’s voice: Majhi
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday said his government will present the 2026-27 annual budget on February 20 based on the opinions of the people from diverse fields. Majhi said this after chairing the pre-budget consultation meeting attended by more than 50 experts, including Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, two former finance ministers Prafulla Ghadai and Niranjan Pujari, and three former finance secretaries – Ardhendu Sadangi, A K Tripathi and R N Senapati.
”The upcoming 2026-27 State budget will be shaped by public input to truly reflect the aspirations of the people. It will be prepared based on the public opinions and keeping in mind the interests of the people of Odisha. We will present a people’s budget for 2026-27,” Majhi, who is also in-charge of Finance department, said after the meeting.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the State government has received more than 2,000 suggestions for the 2026-27 budget through a web portal, e-mail, SMS and WhatsApp. “Of over 50 invitees to the budget consultation meeting, 19 experts have placed their suggestions which are under consideration of the government,” she said.
The Chief Minister has directed the department to record all the well-considered suggestions received from this meeting and consider them to get place in the budget. “In a people’s government, people’s opinions will be given importance and plans will be prepared according to the needs of the people,” he said. Noting that the voice of people is voice of God, Majhi said the budget preparation process of the government has been shifted from bureaucratic confines to the direct engagement with people.
The valuable opinions are being sought from the public and are being included in the budget after careful study and analysis, he said. Apart from former ministers and experts, the representatives from civil society and various sectors also attended the pre-budget consultation programe here.
The Chief Minister said the recently launched Mukhyamantri Kanya Bibaha Yojana idea was received by the government from public opinion. Similarly, Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana and Cuttack-Bhubaneswar-Paradeep-Puri Economic Corridor project proposals also came from the public consultations, he said. “Necessary changes are also being made in policies, schemes and programmes based on public opinion,” Majhi said.
He further said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Odisha has received a boost for large-scale industrialisation, job creation and economic growth. The people-oriented initiatives of the Central government and the steps taken by the State government for women and farmers have given a boost to the rural economy of the State.
