37% Of Annual Budget Spent Till Sept; Odisha Minister Elaborates On The Reasons

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government could spend only 37 per cent of the state’s annual budget till September this year, said Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari.

Making a statement in the State Assembly on Monday, he said that Rs 53,265 crore of the total Rs 1,46,609 crore for 2019-20 fiscal year was spent till September this year.

He attributed the low spending to the model code of conduct for polls in the state, incessant rainfall and two back-to-back cyclones.

The state government aims to spend 60 per cent of the budget by December this year, Pujari added.