By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Saturday and termed the Union Budget 2026-27 as a strong foundation for building a ‘Developed India’. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, the budget has fulfilled the aspirations of all sections of the society and opened new doors of development for Odisha in important sectors like education, agriculture and tourism. State BJP President Shri Manmohan Samal was present at the press conference.
Shri Pradhan said that India has now emerged as the world’s fourth largest economy and this budget aims to achieve a growth rate of 6.8% to 7.2% for the financial year 2026-27. This will fulfill the aspirations of all sections of the society and ensure inclusive growth. The country’s exports were US$ 466.22 billion in 2013-14, and today under the Modi government, it has increased by 77% to US$ 824.9 billion. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country was US$ 36.05 billion in 2013-14. This figure has doubled to US$ 81.04 billion. The country’s GDP has increased threefold from US$ 106.57 crore in 2014-15 to US$ 331.03 crore. The foreign exchange reserves of our country have increased to US$ 697.9 billion. Inflation has been controlled. GST collection was 11 lakh crore in 2020, but now it has increased to 22 lakh crore. India’s startup ecosystem has become third in the world. People’s lives have become easier under the Modi government. AI is set to contribute 1.7 trillion dollars by 2035.
The current budget has launched ‘Biopharma Shakti’ with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore for the next five years and ‘India Semiconductor 2.0’ with an outlay of Rs 40,000 crore. ‘Mahatma Gandhi Gram Swaraj’ campaign has been announced for the development of labour-intensive textile industry and khadi-handicrafts. A growth fund of Rs 10,000 crore has been created to strengthen the MSME sector. A proposal has been made to form an ‘ETUI’ (Education to Employment and Entrepreneurship) standards committee to make the youth employable. ‘AVGC’ (Animation, Gaming) labs will be set up in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges in the country.
One hostel will be built in each district to help students in STEM education. TCS rate on remittances abroad for education and medical purposes has been reduced from 5% to 2%. In this budget, the budget for infrastructure development has been increased from Rs 11 lakh crore to Rs 12.2 lakh crore, which will broaden the path of progress of the country. Along with 7 high-speed rail corridors in the country, a ‘National Institute of Hospitality’ will be set up to develop tourism. In the health sector, three new All India Institutes of Ayurveda (AIIA) will be set up. This budget will help in building a prosperous and strong India overall.
This budget will benefit Odisha in important sectors like agriculture, education and tourism. Special priority has been given to strengthening the state’s agricultural infrastructure, creating new opportunities in the education sector and developing world-class tourism destinations. The ‘Purro Oday’ scheme aims to make Odisha a major hub of development in the country. A record number of Rs 10,928 crore has been allocated to Odisha in the Railway Budget, which is about 13 times more than the average grant of 2009-14. On the other hand, the development of National Waterway No. 5 from Talcher-Angul to Paradip-Dhamra through the Brahmani and Mahanadi rivers and the establishment of a new ‘Rare Earth Corridor’ in the state will take Odisha’s industrial and mineral infrastructure to a new level. Special emphasis has been given in this budget on the ‘New Age Economy’.
New technology and proper utilization of mineral resources will create many new employment opportunities for the youth of the state. Reservoirs and Amrit Sarovar will be developed in the state for irrigation purposes, which will be a boon for the districts of KBK.
This budget will bring a big change in the lives of about 1.5 million fishermen and tribal brothers and sisters of Odisha. The reduction in tax on fishermen from 5% to 2% will benefit the workers from Sambalpur to Mayurbhanj.
The special support for coconut, cashew and cocoa cultivation in the coastal areas shows the government’s commitment to the welfare of the poor and farmers. By connecting women self-help groups and fishermen organizations with the market through startups, fisheries in the coastal areas will be strengthened.
This step will increase the income of our fishermen brothers and sisters and further strengthen the blue economy. It will create new employment opportunities in the coastal areas of Odisha. Projects like ‘Turtle Trails’ in places like Gahirmatha on the coast of Odisha will give a new identity to the state’s tourism industry and strengthen the economy. The Modi government has expressed its commitment in this budget to bring the benefits of development to the people at the bottom of society.
