Odisha Tables Rs 17,440 Crore Supplementary Budget for 2025-26: Focus on Farmers, Health, and Elections

The Odisha government today tabled a first supplementary budget of Rs 17,440 crore for the financial year 2025-26 in the state assembly. Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented the additional expenditure proposal for approval, after which the Speaker adjourned the House until 10:30 AM tomorrow.

The supplementary allocation includes the highest amount of Rs 13,716 crore for program expenditure, Rs 3,389 crore for administrative costs, and Rs 171 crore for disaster mitigation. Notably, the government has earmarked Rs 42 crore for conducting Zilla Parishad elections, signalling its intent to fill vacant seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system within the current financial year.

As of October 2025, the state’s debt burden stands at 11.9% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), with the interest-to-revenue ratio at 2.2% and fiscal deficit at 1.3%. The budget emphasises the Chief Minister’s Mission Power initiative, focusing on energy (Shakti), water (Jal), and roads (Rasta).

The largest share of the supplementary budget has been directed towards farmer welfare and food security. This includes Rs 3,000 crore for a revolving fund for paddy procurement, Rs 1,325 crore for discounts under the Public Distribution System (PDS), and Rs 850 crore under the Samruddha Krushak Yojana for minimum support price (MSP) and input assistance to farmers.

In the health sector, Rs 994 crore has been allocated for the National Health Mission (NHM), with an additional Rs 40 crore for the Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana. Additionally, Rs 250 crore is set aside for the maintenance of roads and bridges, and Rs 171 crore for the disaster mitigation fund.

Explaining the need for the supplementary budget, the Chief Minister noted that the original Rs 2.90 lakh crore budget for 2025-26 was approved by the House on March 29, 2025. The additional funds are required to complete ongoing key projects, implement new schemes, and support centrally sponsored and central sector programs. This also includes repaying advances from the Odisha Contingency Fund and adjusting various administrative expenditures.

Of the Rs 13,716 crore program expenditure, Rs 2,054 crore is for central schemes and Rs 11,643 crore for state schemes. Reiterating the government’s commitment to achieving a “Samruddha Odisha” by 2036, Majhi emphasised adherence to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act in budgeting and spending.

The supplementary budget also prioritises education and women’s empowerment. A new scheme named ‘Shaktishree’ has been introduced for women’s safety and security, with Rs 15 crore allocated. The ambitious ‘Subhadra’ Yojana receives Rs 295 crore, while Mission Shakti gets Rs 405 crore and Mamata Yojana Rs 142 crore. In education, Rs 392 crore is for PM-Poshan, and Rs 71 crore for the Chief Minister’s Poshan Shakti Nirman initiative.

Furthermore, the Rs 42 crore allocation for Zilla Parishad elections comes even as the full term of district councils and panchayats ends in 2027. This provision opens the possibility for by-elections to fill vacant positions in Zilla Parishads, Sarpanch, Samiti members, and Ward members in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system.