Bhubaneswar : Ahead of the Union Budget 2026–27, PRAHAR – Public Response Against Helplessness and Action for Redressal, a national non-governmental organisation working across India on issues of livelihoods, employment generation, and economic inclusion, has urged the Ministry of Finance to sustain last year’s additional funding support of ₹9,176 crore, as well as accelerate sustainable job creation in the backward regions of Odisha, particularly the South-Western region spanning districts like Kalahandi and Rayagada.
PRAHAR stated that the enhanced central support provided in the last Union Budget was widely welcomed on the ground and has helped accelerate the developmental efforts of the Government of Odisha, especially in improving roads, connectivity, housing, public facilities and welfare delivery mechanisms.
This recommendation is based on grassroots work and consultations carried out in the south-western regions of Odisha—the Kalahandi district, covering Thuamul Rampur, Golamunda, Madanpur Rampur, Karlamunda, Lanjigarh, Jaipatna and Bhawanipatna, and Rayagada district, covering Kashipur, Kalyansinghpur, Bissam Cuttack, Muniguda and Gunupur.This has which revealed that while last year’s additional allocation of ₹9,176 crore has contributed to visible improvements in physical infrastructure and welfare outcomes, there remains a significant gap in the creation of sustainable, permanent formal sector jobs for locals.
PRAHAR noted that this gap is particularly stark in South-Western Odisha, where decades of underinvestment in industrial ecosystems have meant that welfare spending, though necessary, has not translated into durable employment opportunities. As a result, large sections of youth continue to face underemployment, distress migration, and limited local livelihood options.
Explaining this, Mr. Abhay Raj Mishra, President and National Convenor, PRAHAR, said,“We acknowledge the efforts of the Government of Odisha in making significant social investments for tribal welfare and inclusive development. However, widening disparities persist, particularly in the south and western regions, with districts like Kalahandi and Rayagada having faced decades of neglect that developmental funding alone cannot reverse. Sustained progress will come only when development spending is blended with industrialisation and manufacturing growth—especially in a mineral-rich state like Odisha—to create formal sector employment.”
“While coastal and eastern districts have benefited from large industrial investments, downstream ecosystems and captive mining, similar opportunities have not materialised in the south-western belt despite abundant mineral reserves. Special industrial vehicles, responsible utilisation of mineral resources, and the development of feeder and downstream industries can correct these imbalances and enable even development across South and West Odisha, in line with the vision of a truly Viksit Odisha.”
PRAHAR highlighted that Odisha is uniquely positioned to benefit from the sharp rise in global aluminium demand driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy infrastructure, aerospace, defence manufacturing, power transmission, and lightweight construction materials. With rich reserves of bauxite, the mineral needed to manufacture aluminium, south-western regions such as Kalahandi and Rayagada can see fast-tracked development. Unlocking industrial and manufacturing potential around aluminium production in these regions would not only create jobs but also reduce long-term dependence on welfare transfers, enhance state revenues, attract private investment and CSR flows, and restore dignity through stable employment
