Bhubaneshwar, Sep 10 : Odisha Assembly on Tuesday passed the appropriation bill of Rs 2.65 lakh crore for the financial year 2024-25.





Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on July 25 presented the first-ever budget of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party after it came to power ending the 24-year rule of Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal government.



The Chief Minister in his reply to the debate on the Appropriation Bill on Tuesday stated that special emphasis has been put on change, development, good governance and Odia Asmita in this budget to achieve the dream for the creation of a 'Bikashit Odisha' by 2036 when the state will celebrate 100 years of formation of Odisha as a separate province.



The Chief Minister has told the house that suggestions were received from 12,000 which is six times more than the previous year. He further claimed that the budget for 2024-25 has successfully passed the test on two important yardsticks, the budget's scale and the fiscal discipline.



He said the fiscal deficit for the financial year 2024-25 has been pegged at Rs 32,403 crore which is 3.5 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), this is a sign of a healthy economy.



Taking a jibe at the opposition BJD, the Chief Minister said: 'We all have seen the school transformation drama and its publicity in the media that was going on for the last three years. But, the real picture of all these schools is coming to the fore now. I have received many complaints on this and everything will be scrutinised.'



While mentioning various schemes announced in the budget for the improvement of the education system in the state, the Chief Minister accused the BJD government of not paying any attention towards the development of the modern infrastructure and availability of well-trained teachers resulting in the decline of quality of education in the state during the past few years.



He also mentioned several schemes announced by his government in the budget which includes Godabarish Mishra Adarsh Prathamika Vidyalaya scheme, Panchasakha Shikshya Setu Abhiyan etc to bring improvement in the education system.



He also alleged that health care was limited only to television and social media and a farce was going on in the name of world-class health care in the state during the rule of the BJD government.



He appealed to the opposition to keep the issue of the state's economy and development above politics.

/IANS