Bhubaneswar, Feb. 22 -- Leader of Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, on Friday hit out at the state government, calling the annual state budget for the 2025-26 financial year recently tabled in the state assembly by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as anti-growth.

While participating in the discussion on the annual budget in the assembly on Friday, Patnaik said, "during Biju Janata Dal Government, Odisha always remained a high growth state. It helped millions escape poverty - a fact noted by many central institutions. But the Double Engine Government has brought down the growth rate from 10 percent to 8 percent this year."

He also alleged that the double-engine BJP government, which was supposed to take Odisha forward seems to be now going in...