Sun Feb 01 12:57:33 UTC 2026: # Odisha Government Hails Union Budget 2026, Opposition Expresses Disappointment

The Story:
On February 1, 2026, the Mohan Charan Majhi-led Odisha government welcomed the Union Budget 2026-27, praising it as a “historic” budget under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The government believes the budget will drive the country towards development and benefit all sections of society. However, the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, criticized the budget, claiming it offers no significant benefits to the state and overlooks key areas like high-speed rail and Buddhist tourism development.

Key Points:

  • The Union Budget 2026-27 earmarks ₹12.20 lakh crore for infrastructure development.
  • The budget mentions Odisha thrice for: rare earth corridors, operationalization of National Waterway-5, and Turtle Trails along the coast.
  • Odisha CM highlights the benefits of the rare earth corridor scheme and the development of National Waterway-5 for mineral transport.
  • The budget includes development of an integrated East Coast Industrial Corridor with a node at Durgapur, creation of five tourism destinations in Purvodaya States, and provision of 4,000 e-buses which will benefit Odisha.
  • Former CM Naveen Patnaik criticizes the budget for overlooking Odisha’s needs, particularly in high-speed rail and Buddhist circuit tourism development, and accuses the central government of focusing solely on extracting natural resources.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Odisha government (BJP) and opposition (BJD) have starkly different views on the benefits of the Union Budget 2026-27 for the state.
  • The budget focuses on infrastructure development and resource extraction in Odisha, with specific projects like the rare earth corridor and National Waterway-5.
  • The opposition’s criticism centers on the perceived lack of attention to key sectors like high-speed rail and tourism, and an overall lack of benefit for the people of Odisha.
  • The rare earth element deposits in Odisha are finally being recognized for their economic benefit to the region.
  • This disagreement highlights the ongoing political tensions between the state and central governments regarding resource allocation and development priorities.

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