Bhubaneswar | January 11, 2026

The Odisha government has sought financial and policy support from the Centre for the development of road and National Highway projects in the state, with a proposed investment of ₹41,580 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida raised the demand during the pre-Budget consultation meeting of state and Union Territory finance ministers, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Saturday. The meeting was held to gather inputs from states ahead of the Union Budget 2026–27.

Representing Odisha, Parida submitted a detailed memorandum outlining the state’s priorities and proposals for inclusion in the forthcoming Budget. She emphasised the need for enhanced central assistance to strengthen road connectivity and national highway infrastructure as part of Odisha’s broader development agenda.

The deputy chief minister also sought support under the Centre’s ‘Purvodaya’ initiative to create an enabling environment for large-scale infrastructure development, aligning with the vision of “Viksit Odisha for Viksit Bharat.”

Among other demands, Parida called for incentives for fiscally disciplined states and an increased allocation under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment for 2026–27. She urged a revision of ration cost norms under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls to ensure uninterrupted supply of nutritious food.

To ease fiscal pressure on state finances, Odisha requested an enhanced central share and expanded beneficiary coverage under the National Social Assistance Programme and other social pension schemes.

The memorandum also highlighted the need for central assistance to develop Odisha’s major tourist destinations into national and international tourism hubs. Additional demands included support for paddy procurement, expansion of storage infrastructure, timely release of funds for ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission projects, and large-scale capital investment to accelerate urbanisation in the state.

The Union Finance Minister assured that the demands and suggestions put forward by the Odisha government would be given due consideration, according to an official.

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