Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), in collaboration with the Government of Odisha organised the pilot edition of Odisha Budget Conclave on March 7.
The goal was to showcase an analysis of the Odisha Budget and how it is going to shape the State’s economy in the coming financial year.
Dr Amar Patnaik, retired IA&AS officer, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha; Jugal Kishore Mohapatra, retired IAS officer, Chairman, NABFINS; Upendra Nath Behera, retired IAS officer, Chairperson, OERC; andAshok KK Meena, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government of Odisha, Finance Department) were the speakers.
Meena introduced the audience to the provisions of the Budget. He spoke on the new aspects in the Budget that incorporated structural and formative changes.
For farmers
Dr Patnaik spoke about the sectored structure of the Budget which included the nutrition expenses, the agriculture budget and how this provision should aim at achieving synergy between the Centre and the State government’s agricultural department to reap maximum benefits for the farmers.
Mohapatra, spoke on how the Budget must be evaluated to best fit the context which must encompass the quality of resource mobilisation, expenditure allocation, fiscal management and liability of estimate.
Behera expressed his views about the robustness of the Budget wherein with the aid of minimum support price and subsidy, the problem of poverty and hunger could be tackled.