Budget lacks focus in crucial areas: Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, July 10 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday expressed disappointment over the union budget and said it "lacked focus" in crucial areas.

"Under the prevailing circumstances, with high inflation coupled with drought-like scenario, greater focus should have been on agriculture and the social sector. However, the union budget lacks focus in all these crucial areas," Patnaik told reporters here.

He said the fiscal consolidation without revenue gain through introduction of goods and services tax (GST) was a misnomer.

"The concern of the states for adequate compensation for loss in central tax has not been tackled," he said.

Nominal increase in allocation for flagship schemes will hurt the development of the states, he added.

On the allocation made for his state, Patnaik said that except for the promise for an Indian Institute of Management, there was nothing for Odisha in the budget.

"As usual, the textile mega-cluster bypassed Odisha in this budget," Patnaik said.

"Meagre allocation on ambitious programmes like rural electrification speaks of tokenism," he added.