Dikhyaa Mohanty 
Today, Nityananda Gond, the Minister of ST & SC Development, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare, gave the State Assembly’s 2024–25 budget presentation. She thanked Speaker Surama Padhy and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Minister Gond stressed the importance of the budget by pointing out that, according to the 2011 census, minorities make up 17.13% of the state’s population and that Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes make up 22.85% and 5.06% of the total population, respectively.
A total budget allocation of Rs 5749 crore has been given for the financial year 2024–25, a 23% increase over the previous year’s allocation of Rs 4651.77 crore. Minister Gond focused on program expenditure (P&E) when outlining the proposed schemes’ top spending priorities. In the budget, the developmental needs of Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, minorities, and backward classes.
